NRL Power rankings: We rate every lock from 1-16

WE rank every lock in the competition from 1 to 16. Where does newly returning Rabbitoh Sam Burgess rate?

Power rankings: Burgess back with a bang

WHO is the leading lock in the NRL?

Like we have with fullbacks, wingers,centres, props, hookers, backrowers and five-eighths we’ve ranked every lock in the NRL from 16th to first in our off season Power Rankings and you can do the same.

The rankings are based on a combination of 2015 form with consideration given to what the player is projected to achieve in 2016.

1) Corey Parker — Brisbane Broncos

At 33 years old, Corey Parker should be slowing down. His grey hair is proof he’s not immune to the ravages of age, but he just keeps going. His tackle count continues to rise, he continues to truck up the ball, he continues to pop offloads and he continues to be the Supercoach Jesus.

Parker was the only Australian forward who could hold his head high following the ANZAC Test defeat to New Zealand, he won the Wally Lewis medal as player of the Origin series and was typically enduring for Brisbane as they charged all the way to the grand final.

The 15-year veteran has 320 matches under his belt and he’ll have the all time record of 355 in his sights over the next few seasons. Showing no signs of slowing down, Parker is still the best in the business.

2) Sam Burgess — South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Sam Burgess of 2014 would rank number one on this list and was in the conversation regarding the best players in the game. He was a one man wrecking crew who set the standard for toughness, physicality and aggression for the Rabbitohs pack and was the best player on their premiership winning team.

Nobody expects Burgess’ 12-month stint in rugby union to rob him of his abilities, but the remote possibility remains that he’s taken the slightest of steps backwards. Regardless, even if Burgess has slipped a couple of notches you’d be silly to bet against him finding his best form quickly. His arrival changes the title landscape of the NRL.

RANK EVERY LOCK IN THE COMPETITION

3) Jason Taumalolo — North Queensland Cowboys

One of the simple joys in life is to fire up Rugby League Live or Madden, go to create a player mode and conjure up a comically super powered player. They’re six foot six, 150 kilograms, can run like the wind and virtually destroy everything in their path.

Jason Taumalolo is as close as we’ll come to seeing a player like that in real life. He’s a terrifyingly powerful runner, but he’s nimble enough to step off of both feet and while he was inconsistent at times last season, he managed to take home the Dally M lock of the year gong and would have been a fair shout for the Clive Churchill Medal. To cap it all off, he’s still only 22. Jason Taumalolo, you are ridiculous.

4) Martin Taupau — Manly Sea Eagles

Martin Taupau breaks things. He breaks defensive lines with his rampaging charges, he breaks players in two with thunderous hits and he broke Alex Johnston’s sanity when he unleashed a shotgun of a fend that sent the young flyer flying in the Tigers 30-6 win over the Rabbitohs last season.

The newly minted Sea Eagle gives the Manly pack a new dimension in terms of physicality and aggression and if he can replicate his 2014 form with his new club he’ll be edging towards elite status.

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Simon Mannering is one of the most underrated players in the game.

5) Simon Mannering — New Zealand Warriors

In the Kingdom of Madness that is the New Zealand Warriors, everything is fluid and perpetually changing. Players can go from superstar to dud and back again in the blink of an eye, the team can win by 60 one week and get smacked up the next.

Flick passes always hit a man on the chest, but God only knows if it’ll be a Warrior or a bloke sitting in the first row. The one constant is the form of skipper Simon Mannering, who was switched to lock this season with great success. Mannering led the league in tackles after the regular season with 1013 and played in every match for the second straight season. Underrated and a little out of sight, Mannering is one of the best locks going around.

6) Paul Gallen — Cronulla Sharks

Gallen’s appetite for work is legendary. His 196 metres gained per match was the second highest in the league and a full 51 metres ahead of the next best forward, Cronulla teammate Andrew Fifita. The Blues skipper is also sharp with ball in hand and can pop a smart offload here and there. However, Gallen’s injury woes and gluttonous appetite for the ball is threatening to swallow him up like he’s an extra in a Jaws movie.

Gallen played just 16 matches in 2015, marking the fourth year in a row he played less than 20 games. He hasn’t appeared in every match of a season since 2005 and while his stats remain strong, he also averaged the most carries in the NRL of any player with 22.1 and averaged the most touches of any forward with 28.8 per match. Gallen is still mighty effective, but his constant charges can throw off the attacking rhythm and structures of his side. If he tempers his work rate he’ll both prolong his career and become a more effective contributor.

RANK EVERY LOCK IN THE COMPETITION

7) Siosuai Taukeiaho — Sydney Roosters

The young New Zealander has just 26 games under his belt and only cemented his place at lock late in the season, but he’s got something special. Taukeiaho has shades of Jason Taumalolo about him and would have been a lock for Rookie of the Year had he not made a solitary appearance for the Warriors back in 2013.

Not as large as Taumalolo but slightly more mobile, Taukeiaho capped an excellent rookie campaign with a Test debut against England and will be one of the Roosters rocks for the next decade.

Shaun Fensom is more than just a rugged defender.

8) Shaun Fensom — Canberra Raiders

The seasons change, the time passes, the sun rises and sets, and all the while Shaun Fensom keeps tackling. Fensom holds the record for most tackles in a single match, a gargantuan 74 against the Bulldogs in 2011, and his average of 39.8 was the 7th best in the league this season.

While defence is the strongest aspect of Fensom’s game, his attacking numbers shouldn’t be over looked. Fensom was the only player in the NRL to average over 100 metres gained and 35 tackles per match, and his late offloads are a key component of the Raiders adventurous attack. Not to mention that Fensom managed all this while returning from a knee reconstruction. You could come at him with a steamroller and he’d find a way to take it down.

RANK EVERY LOCK IN THE COMPETITION

9) Dale Finucane — Melbourne Storm

A sneaky candidate for buy of the year, Finucane started slow but worked his way into the season well and by the end of the season he was one of Melbourne’s best. Durable, tough and strong carrying the ball, he’s been regarded as a potential representative player of the future for several seasons.

As he approaches his mid 20s, the age where many forwards hit their peak, Finucane is sure to go to another level in 2015 as he ensconces a starting place in the Melbourne pack with the departure of Ryan Hinchcliffe. Along with Kiwi pair Tohu Harris and Kevin Proctor, Finucane forms what might be the best three man backrow unit in the NRL.

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Elijah Taylor struggled to stay fit in 2015.

10) Elijah Taylor — Penrith

As player after player fell around him, Elijah Taylor kept doing the work, kept taking the tough carries and kept things together at Penrith as best he could. While his attacking output was below where it could be — Taylor possess excellent footwork and runs strong lines around the middle of the field — that can be attributed to the season ending knee injury he suffered in 2014.

A professional’s professional who consistently puts in extra efforts, Taylor is a coaches dream and deserves far more accolades than he receives.

11) Greg Eastwood — Canterbury Bulldogs

Eastwood has been a quality player for a long time for Canterbury, but 2015 won’t go down as his best season. The New Zealand international has surprisingly mobility and speed for a man of his size, but considering he averaged just 83 metres gained per match and managed just 18 tackle busts in 24 appearances, the season certainly failed to meet expectations.

However, given Eastwood’s class and track record Eastwood will likely rebound and get back to his best in 2016.

RANK EVERY LOCK IN THE COMPETITION

12) Greg Bird — Gold Coast Titans

Greg Bird’s season came to be defined by the 11 weeks he missed between Round 8 and Round 19 for a spear tackle in the ANZAC Test. It wiped him out of the entire Origin series and potentially ended his Blues career, it meant that he was forced to watch powerless as the Titans slipped further and further down the ladder and it meant that he endured one of the worst seasons of his career.

While Bird’s numbers weren’t great and he didn’t have the same impact of years past, it’s worth noting that six of the Titans nine wins came when he was in the line-up. A full pre-season might invigorate Bird, but at 31 and with a whole lot of mileage under his belt the odds are stacked against him.

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13) Jeremy Smith — Newcastle Knights

At 35 years old, Smith is equal parts grit and gristle and was one of the few Knights players who played with some manner of consistency in 2015. His offensive numbers weren’t all that strong, but he remains a stout defender and is clever enough to offer something with the ball. The former Kiwi Test star can’t be relied on as the marquee forward leader anymore, but he can perform a valuable role in offering a forward pack a bit of a harder edge, as well as providing experience and other intangibles. Given the Knights lack of depth in the middle of the field, Smith will have to shoulder an even greater load next season.

14) Ben Creagh — St George Illawarra Dragons

In 2015 Creagh became that rarest of beasts, the captain that starts from the bench. The reasons behind the veteran pulling a Gidley was simple — after playing his entire career as an edge backrower, he was moved into the middle third last season and has been deployed as a prop or lock ever since.

However, he just wasn’t good enough to supplant Mike Cooper, Leeson Ah Mau or Trent Merrin, and was therefore sent to the bench. Merrin’s departure opens up a spot in the pack and Creagh’s seniority means he’ll likely win the job over Jack de Belin, but that decision could come back to bite Paul McGregor. The fearless and tough tackling de Belin has been misused his entire career and is an ideal 80-minute lock forward, while Creagh is far less effective as both a runner and defender.

RANK EVERY LOCK IN THE COMPETITION

15) Anthony Watmough — Parramatta Eels

If we didn’t know any better you’d swear that Manly Anthony Watmough and Parramatta Anthony Watmough were two different people. Blue and gold Watmough was nothing short of a liability in 2015 — he couldn’t break tackles, he couldn’t threaten the defence and his incessant crabbing across the field constantly hamstrung the Eels attack.

Considering the size of his contract, his footballing pedigree and the degree of fanfare attached to his arrival, he’ll take some beating as one of the biggest recruitment busts of the modern era. All good things must come to an end, and Watmough is surely on his last legs, or at least getting close to them. Unless he can turn things around, 2016 might be his last year in the big leagues.

16) Dene Halatau — Wests Tigers

The abrupt departure of Martin Taupau leaves a gaping hole at the back of the Tigers scrum, and the likely candidate to fill the vacancy is veteran Dene Halatau. If Jason Taylor has his way and has Robbie Farah exiled, Halatau will be the final remaining player from the 2005 premiership winning side and while he’s a capable and tough professional, he doesn’t offer anything near the dynamism and power of Taupau.

Other candidates include the workaholic Brendan Santi and hard hitting import Joel Edwards, while the bolter could be 19-year old Holden Cup star Tyler Cassel.