Top ten locks from 2023

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 lock 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 lock 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 locks based purely and totally on 2023: Honorable Mention: Victor Radley, Adam Elliott Josh King One of the true unsung heroes in purple, Josh King played big minutes, worked hard and was relatively error free. So pretty much the perfect Craig Bellamy prototype. King certainly doesn't have the name value of many on this list, or even some who missed, but he was brilliant in 2023. 26 games saw him cross for three tries, run for over 105 metres per game and tackle at 93%. He also had 11 offloads and 17 tackle breaks. King pipped both Elliott and Radley on here by the slimmest of margins. I simply couldn't leave him out. Cameron McInnes The only player on this list who wasn't his teams initial first choice lock, McInnes earned his way here through pure effort. McInnes was herculean for the Sharks on both sides of the ball. His record 81 tackles against Penrith (according to nrl.com) was something you'll likely never see again. Across his 23 games he crossed for three tries, ran for almost 110 metres per game and tackled, in huge numbers, at over 96%. McInnes was a giant for the Sharks in 2023. Unfortunately he often played a lone hand in the middle. Jake Trbojevic Nothing better illustrates a players importance than how badly his team misses him during an absence. Safe to say that Manly missed Jurbo in a big way when he wasn't available. I am convinced Mr Trbojevic is a machine. He just goes and goes and goes and at a rate that few others, even those much younger, can match. In an injury riddled season Jurbo ran out 18 times for a try, just under 100 metres a game and a tackle percentage of nearly 96%. His stats don't even come close to showing how important he is to this side. The way he moves the ball is right up there with the very elite number 13s. Corey Horsburgh To say Corey Horsburgh enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 would be putting it very lightly. "Big Red" was a monster for the Green Machine this year and absolutely deserved his Origin call up. I'm happy to go on record as saying it won't be his last. Across 22 games he scored three times, made 35 tackle breaks, ran for over 110 metres per game, tackled at 95.5% and had 27 offloads. Horsburgh looked like a different player this year. The switch has been flicked. Watch out opposing middle forwards. Reuben Cotter There was a fair bit of outrage in the comments when Cotter was ruled ineligible for the top ten props list but that's because he was listed as lock by nrl.com on more occasions. North Queensland endured a dire 2023 season but it was through no fault of Cotter. He did everything they asked of him, across multiple roles. 20 games saw him net four tries, run for 111 metres per game and tackle right on 94%. Those numbers need to take into account his stints from the bench and a prop. Cotter turned up and did his job each and every week for the Cowboys. He earned the Wally Lewis medal as QLD's best player in their Origin series win also. Cameron Murray Murray was the hardest to place here. Some people will say he should be higher, others will say lower. He was brilliant in 2023 for mine so you can settle it in the comments. He ran out 21 times for the Bunnies in 2023 for four tries, 38 tackle breaks, 20 offloads, 129 metres run per game and a tackle percentage of over 95%. He was equally brilliant for the Blues and was sorely missed by the Kangaroos in the recent Pacific Cup Final. He won the Kangaroos best of the year as a quick aside. Some will argue Murray had a "down" season. Given what he produced, that says everything about his magnificent abilities. He was huge! J'maine Hopgood The Eels landed the value signing of the season in signing Hopgood. He was magnificent all season long. 24 games, the large majority played at lock, saw him cross for four tries, break 37 tackles, run for over 120 metres per game and tackle at 93.4%. His 56 offloads produced some amazing moments and allowed the Eels to run a lot of second phase plays. Hopgood very quickly became a social media and Super Coach favourite and he deserved every plaudit. A QLD Origin jersey is in his future. Tohu Harris I am convinced that Tohu Harris has access to the fountain of youth because he flatly refuses to slow down or age in any way. The 31 year-old was majestic this season for the Warriors in playing a huge part in their rise and return to Finals footy. He ran out 23 times for three tries, seven line-break assists, almost 140 run metres per game and completed almost 94% of his massive amount of tackles. Harris, a leader on and off the park, really personified the Warriors in 2023. He was often brilliant, always good and has an unmeasurable amount of heart. Isaah Yeo Another year, another brilliant season from the Penrith lock and co-captain. Yeo doesn't attract the publicity of the likes of Cleary, Luai and Edwards but he's absolutely as instrumental in the Panthers success. 24 games for the Panthers in 2023 saw him cross for four tries, break 63 tackles, run for almost 160 metres per game and tackle at over 97%. Those stats don't even show the amount of times he engages the line to create space for his halves. Yeo was magnificent in 2023. Patrick Carrigan The Broncos middle was so, so good in 2023. I'm honestly running out of superlatives to describe a season that saw him finish above a host of huge performers. Carrigan played a colossal role in taking the Broncos within literal minutes of a well deserved Premiership win. In his 23 games in 2023 for the Broncs, he crossed for a pair of tries, broke 54 tackles, had 38 offloads, ran for almost 160 metres per game and tackled at just under 95%. Carrigan is now firmly entrenched as one of the game's very elite middle forwards and deservingly so. His Dally M lock of the year award was very much a deserved ode to a brilliant season.

Top ten locks from 2023

Who filled the all-important lock role the best in 2023?

2. Isaah Yeo

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		P	W	L	PTS	+/-
1	PEN	11	10	1	22	203
2	NZW	11	9	2	20	156
3	SYD	10	7	3	18	61
4	MAN	11	7	4	16	109
5	NEW	11	7	4	16	28
6	NQL	12	8	4	16	27
7	SOU	11	6	5	14	58
8	DOL	11	6	5	14	51