With the off-season comes the usual troupes.
Talk of expansion, the divisions talk, player movements and of course post-season rankings.
Today we're here to focus on the rankings. More specifically, the NRL hooker rankings from 2023.
Please keep in mind that these rankings are based only on 2023. Both NRL and Origin performances will be taken into account. Not specifically who is the best hooker outright.
Before we start, I'm going to take a moment to answer some of the usual questions to appear in the comments to any sort of rankings.
Do I even watch football? Yes, every game.
Are my eyes painted on? No. That would be funny though.
Who am I? Just a fan.
With that said, below are the top 10 NRL hookers based purely and totally on 2023:
Hon Mention: Phoenix Crossland
1. Harry Grant
Straight up, I don't understand the Harry Grant negatively ... at all! Ok he was below par for the Kangaroos in the Pacific Cup Final, as were 16 others, while he was best on ground a week earlier.
Grant was huge for the Storm, and QLD, in 2023. He is the best hooker in the game.
For the Storm he ran out 25 times for nine tries, 12 try assists, 11 line-break assists, seven forced drop outs, 18 offloads, 70 run metres per game and a tackle percentage of almost 91%.
Despite some brilliant efforts elsewhere, I see nothing to suggest the current Dally M hooker of the year wasn't a clear choice for number one here.
