NRL Team of the Decade 2010 to 2020: Round of 16 Voting
We have narrowed the field down from 32 teams to 16 in our quest to find the greatest side of the past decade. Have your say on who will progress to the last eight.
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The field has been halved with the big guns asserting their dominance in our search for the best NRL team of the past decade.
We are down to the last 16 and there are some mouth-watering clashes as we look to narrow the field to eight in our bracket.
Teams from the Storm and the Roosters are littered throughout the final 16, but they aren’t the only teams that deserve to be considered as the elite of the past decade.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE IN ALL EIGHT MATCH-UPS
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There was plenty of love for the Cowboys 2015 premiership team in Round 1 of the bracket, attracting 90 per cent of the vote in their victory over the 2014 Bulldogs side.
The top ranked 2017 Storm and 2018 Roosters also dominated their opponents with 87 per cent of the vote.
What we do know is that after this round, at least two premiership teams will have been eliminated and it is your job to make the big decision.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE IN ALL EIGHT MATCH-UPS
Can Wayne Bennett’s Dragons from 2010 take down the Sonny Bill Williams-inspired Roosters of 2013?
The Manly Sea Eagles were the giant-killers of 2011 when they destroyed the Storm in one of the most memorable grand finals of all, but can they do it again against the 2018 Roosters?
You have the power to decide who will progress, who will bow out and who is the greatest of them all.
VOTE NOW!
BRACKET 1 (LEFT SIDE)
MATCH 1: 2017 STORM VS 2015 BRONCOS
Melbourne 2017 Premiers (1st)
20-0-4 (W-D-L) 83.3% (Win%) Pts For 26.4 Pts Against 14
Bracket Rnd 1: Storm 2017 87% def. Panthers 2010 13%
One of the most dominant seasons of any team in recent memory, winning 20 of 24 regular season matches to finish six points clear of second place with a +297 point differential
This 2017 Storm side was like a big boa constrictor snake in that they slowly strangled the life out of you with their armylike precision and patience. Once their victims were officially killed off, they finished them with some of the finest attack the game has ever seen led by the likes of Billy Slater, Josh Addo-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu.
Skipper and hooker Cameron Smith was the head of the Storm’s snake. Smith broke several records throughout the season, including the NRL games record for the most games, league record for the most wins as a captain, a personal best for the most points in a game and also scored his 2000th career point and 1000th career goal, a first for any player in competition history.
Key players: Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Suliasi Vunivalu, Cooper Cronk
Josh Addo-Carr
Brisbane 2015 Grand Final (2nd)
17-0-7 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 23.9 Pts Against 15.8
Bracket Rnd 1: Broncos 2015 51% def. Sea Eagles 2014 49%
Supercoach Wayne Bennett’s return season at Red Hill was just seconds away from the perfect ending. Up 16-12 in the dying stages of the grand final against the Cowboys, the Broncos were about to win the premiership for the first time since 2006.
However, a last-gasp Kyle Feldt try and a Johnathan Thurston field goal in golden-point extra-time - after an awful handling error from Ben Hunt - denied Brisbane the title.
Justin Hodges’ hopes of a fairy-tale finish to his career were dashed but the Broncos played some fine football that season in finishing second on the ladder.
Key players: Justin Hodges, Anthony Milford, Darius Boyd, Matt Gillett, Corey Oates
Match 2: 2012 STORM VS 2019 RAIDERS
Melbourne 2012 Premiers (2nd)
17-0-7 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 24.1 Pts Against 15
Bracket Rnd 1: Storm 64% def. 2013 Rabbitohs 36%
One of two sides (Broncos 2006) in the NRL Era (1998-2020) to have had a five-game losing streak in the regular season and win the grand final.
Resilience and determination define this 2012 Melbourne side. After winning their first nine games, a club record, the Storm went on a five-game losing streak during the season.
There were fears that Melbourne’s dynasty had ended abruptly, but the class of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk rallied when it mattered most.
Melbourne defeated Canterbury in the grand final, with halfback Cooper Cronk collecting the Clive Churchill medal.
Key players: Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Jesse Bromwich, Ryan Hoffman
Canberra 2019 Grand Final (4th)
15-0-9 (W-D-L) 62.5% (Win%) Pts For 21.8 Pts Against 15.6
Bracket Rnd 1: Raiders 2019 89% def. Raiders 2016 11%
A team with a will of iron, these Raiders never found a fight they wouldn’t die to win. Just once through the season did they lose a game by more than six points, and were it not for a contentious ruling in the grand final loss to the Roosters they may well have been premiers.
Key players: Josh Papalii, Josh Hodgson, Jack Wighton, John Bateman, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
MATCH 3: 2015 COWBOYS V 2016 STORM
North Queensland 2015 Premiers (3rd)
17-0-7 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 24.5 Pts Against 18.9
Bracket Rnd 1: Cowboys 90% def. 2014 Bulldogs 10%
The Cowboys finished the season on the highest of highs in winning a golden-point grand final over arch rivals Brisbane, but three matches into the campaign, they looked anything but premiership material. The turning point came in round four against the Melbourne Storm, with the brilliance and resolve of Johnathan Thurston securing the Cowboys an 18-17 extra-time win.
From there the Cowboys didn’t look back. Thanks largely to an 11-game winning streak, North Queensland finished in third spot on the ladder. Despite losing to the Broncos in week one of the finals, the Cowboys lifted when it mattered most in the decider.
With his side down 16-12 in the last minute, Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt scored in the corner to level scores. Thurston’s kick to win the match hit the post, but JT couldn’t be denied a second time as he kicked a field goal in golden-point extra-time to seal the Cowboys a maiden premiership.
Key players: Johnathan Thurston, Jason Taumalolo, Michael Morgan, Jake Granville, Matt Scott
Melbourne 2016 Grand Final (1st)
19-0-5 (W-D-L) 79.2% (Win%) Pts For 23.5 Pts Against 12.6
Bracket Rnd 1: Storm 2016 78% def. Warriors 2011 22%
Another blown premiership campaign after dominating all season as minor premiers by three clear points. Led by the try scoring exploits of freakish Fijian flyer Suliasi Vunivalu, who finished the regular season with 23 tries, the Storm were favourites to win another title.
Melbourne racked up 19 regular season wins and only five losses, but they were edged out on grand final day by a Cronulla side desperate to win their first premiership.
Key players - Suliasi Vunivalu, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Kenny Bromwich
MATCH 4: 2011 SEA EAGLES VS 2018 ROOSTERS
Manly 2011 Premiers (2nd)
18-0-6 (W-D-L) 75% (Win%) Pts For 22.5 Pts Against 13.8
Bracket Rnd 1: Sea Eagles 2011 61% def. 2014 Roosters 39%
Unbeatable at Brookvale Oval this year, even in the stinks. Apart from an on-field brawl against Melbourne, the likes of which you will not see again, these Sea Eagles would go all the way thanks largely to a wonderful mix of the Stewart brothers, two outstanding young halves (Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans), Dally M centre Jamie Lyon and the mad science of coach Des Hasler.
Key players: Brett Stewart, Glenn Stewart, Jamie Lyon, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans
Sydney Roosters 2018 Premiers (1st)
16-0-8 (W-D-L) 66.7% (Win%) Pts For 22.6 Pts Against 15
Bracket Rnd 1: Roosters 2018 87% def. Rabbitohs 2019 13%
From 2014 to 2017, the Roosters struggled to take the final step, as good a side as they were between their first two premierships of the decade. Adding Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco, two of the best players of the entire decade, put paid to that, and the Roosters romped over Melbourne in the grand final, producing one of the best first half performances in grand final history. Cronk’s heroics in playing with a serious shoulder injury will live in rugby league memory for as long as the game is played.
Key players: James Tedesco, Cooper Cronk, Luke Keary, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Latrell Mitchell
BRACKET (RIGHT SIDE)
MATCH 1: 2019 ROOSTERS V 2011 STORM
Sydney Roosters 2019 Premiers (2nd)
17-0-7 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 26.1 Pts Against 15.1
Bracket Rnd 1: Roosters 2019 70% def. Storm 2013 30%
Climbing the mountain is one thing, staying on top is quite another. This Roosters team were the first side to go back to back in a united competition since the 1992-93 Broncos and succeeded where so many great sides before them had failed. They didn’t have it all their own way, with Canberra giving them a hell of a scare in the grand final, but they showed their championship qualities to take the game, and the premiership, when it was there to be had.
Key players: James Tedesco, Cooper Cronk, Luke Keary, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Daniel Tupou
Melbourne 2011 Finals (1st)
19-0-5 (W-D-L) 79.2% (Win%) Pts For 21.7 Pts Against 12.8
Bracket Rnd 1: Storm 2011 59% def. Storm 2018 41%
For all Melbourne’s premiership success, they also had their fair share of wasted chances.
The 2011 season was no exception. The Storm finished minor premiers and raced through the finals before being beaten by the Warriors in a home preliminary final.
It was a devastating end to a season considering Storm players dominated the Dally M Awards, with three players – Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk and coach Craig Bellamy collecting awards.
Key players - Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Jesse Bromwich, Gareth Widdop
MATCH 2: 2016 SHARKS V 2019 STORM
Cronulla 2016 Premiers (3rd)
17-1-6 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 24.2 Pts Against 16.8
Bracket Rnd 1: Sharks 2016 55% def. Roosters 2017 45%
The Sharks had been built on grit and determination and would grind teams out of matches but this team was different. They maintained their hard edge through powerful forwards including Luke Lewis,, Andrew Fifita and Matt Prior. But it was who they added to their side which really saw them develop into a premiership threat. Ben Barba and Michael Ennis had joined the year before. Chad Townsend returned to the club in 2016 after two years at the Warriors while James Maloney’s arrival that same season gave the side a much needed quality- a winner. The quartet along with emerging talent in Valentine Holmes and Jack Bird gave the Sharks the potential to put on points when they hadn’t been able to in previous serious. The troubled Barba produced a highlight reel season while Fifita was the best forward in the competition.
They became one of just four teams to win 15 consecutive matches in a season and brought Cronulla’s premiership drought along the way.
Key players: Andrew Fifita,, Ben Barba, James Maloney, Michael Ennis.
Melbourne 2019 Finals (1st)
20-0-4 (W-D-L) 83.3% (Win%) Pts For 26.3 Pts Against 12.5
Bracket Rnd 1: Storm 2019 71% def. Roosters 2010 29%
Set the standard in defence once again in 2019, leading the league in all the major defensive categories It conceded per game - 12.1 points, 2.0 tries, 1229 Metres, 2.7 line breaks, 19 missed tackles. It was the first team since Canterbury in 2002 to not lose a game in a season by double figures.
This Melbourne side should have won a premiership. Minor premiers by a whopping six points, fatigue from a full-on campaign defeated them in the end. After dominating the regular season, Craig Bellamy’s men lost to Canberra in the first week of the finals. They rallied to smash Parramatta before failing to contain defending premiers the Roosters led by ex-teammate Cooper Cronk.
Key players: Cameron Smith, Josh Addo-Carr, Suliasi Vunivalu, Cameron Munster, Jesse Bromwich
MATCH 3: 2014 RABBITOHS VS 2015 ROOSTERS
South Sydney 2014 Premiers (3rd)
15-0-9 (W-D-L) 62.5% (Win%) Pts For 24.4 Pts Against 15
Bracket Rnd 1: Rabbtiohs 2014 68% def. Broncos 2011 32%
It was the year the proud Redfern club broke a 43-year title drought to claim their first premiership since 1971. It was a title built on defence and Michael Maguire’s side finished the year having conceded the least points, tries, linebreaks and offloads. But the biggest accolades were reserved for Englishman Sam Burgess and his inspirational performances. The forward’s heroics in the grand final, where he suffered a fractured cheekbone in the opening tackle but played on, is now part of rugby league folklore.
Key players: Sam Burgess, Issac Luke, George Burgess, Alex Johnston, Greg Inglis
Sydney Roosters 2015 Finals (1st)
18-0-6 (W-D-L) 75% (Win%) Pts For 24.6 Pts Against 12.5
Bracket Rnd 1: Roosters 2015 51% def Bulldogs 2012 49%
Of the Roosters teams between the 2013 and 2018 titles, this was by far the best, even accounting for the loss of Mitchell Pearce to injury through the year. They may have faltered during the finals, losing first to Melbourne and then to Brisbane in the preliminary final, but as a regular season construct there have been few better teams. Of particular note was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who emerged as the Tricolours best player in his final year with the club.
Key players: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, James Maloney, Boyd Cordner, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Friend
2010: DRAGONS VS 2013 ROOSTERS
St George Illawarra 2010 Premiers (1st)
17-0-7 (W-D-L) 70.8% (Win%) Pts For 21.6 Pts Against 12.5
Bracket Rnd 1: Dragons 2010 58% def. Cowboys 2017 42%
This team was built on defence and high percentage plays with the ball. If you scroll across their 1-17 there is little separating their best and worst player. The Dragons conceded just 12.5 points for the season. Jamie Soward’s kicking game was an attacking weapon, using it to pin teams down as they defended their way to victory. Fullback Darius Boyd’s sweeping plays became a staple and despite its predictability, opposition teams struggled to make the correct read each time. While it was a defence-based side, that does not pay enough respect to their gun outside backs in Boyd, Brett Morris, Jason Nightingale, Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper. The biggest influencer on the team though was coach Wayne Bennett, in just his second season he taught this Dragons side how to win. Trailed by two at halftime but raced in 26 unanswered points to beat the Roosters.
Their victory was the first for the joint-venture and ended 31-years of heartache for the Dragons faithful.
Key players: Darius Boyd, Jamie Soward, Jeremy Smith, Michael Weyman, Beau Scott.
Sydney Roosters 2013 Premiers (1st)
18-0-6 (W-D-L) 75% (Win%) Pts For 26.7 Pts Against 13.5
Bracket Rnd 1: Roosters 2013 73% def. 2014 Sea Eagles 27%
There are star-studded teams and there are star-studded teams and the 2013 Roosters, assuredly, are the latter. With magnificent footballers all over the park, the 2013 champions clicked into gear immediately and were dominant throughout the season, which was earmarked by their incredible defensive steel - they kept their opposition to zero points six times over the course of the year.
Key players: James Maloney, Sonny Bill Williams, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Mitchell Pearce, Jake Friend