Revealed: Phil Rothfield’s top 50 NRL players for season 2018
PHIL Rothfield picks his top 50 players in the NRL this year and top spot, while not a total surprise, will raise the eyebrows of a few diehard rugby league fans. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE
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SO how could you pick the top 50 players in the NRL and not choose two future Immortals right at the top?
Most critics would have Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston as the quinella.
And no doubt the 34-year-old Queensland and Kangaroos superstars will dominate again in 2018 like they have for more than a decade in the NRL and representative football.
But it’s time for change.
The number one player and most destructive footballer in the NRL is the Cowboys’ $10 million man Jason Taumalolo.
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Not only did he almost single-handedly turn Tonga into a world-class international team at the World Cup last year, his performances during the NRL season were phenomenal.
At just 24, there are some who even suggest he is potentially the best rugby league forward of all time, especially considering players in his position never peak until around 28 to 30.
This wrecking machine has incredible power, pace and can step like an outside back.
Without him there is no way the Cowboys would have made last year’s grand final.
Other highlights of the 2018 crop include:
•Only two NSW players are in the top 10 — Roosters skipper Boyd Cordner and fullback James Tedesco;
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•Overall, though, the Blues have slightly more depth with 21 players compared to Queensland’s 20;
•The other nine are from other countries, showing why Australia should continue to dominate on the international stage;
•They Storm have eight players on the list and three of them in the top 10 — Smith, Jesse Bromwich and Billy Slater;
•The Cowboys and Sharks are the next best with six players each;
•Big names like Shaun Johnson, Josh Mansour and Bevan French didn’t make the cut.