Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield rates his top 50 NRL players in 2014. Today 25-1

BUZZ Rothfield has named his 50 best players in the NRL. Do you agree? Have your say in our special interactive!

FIVE years ago he quit the NRL in disgrace. Today he is the number one player in the game.

Sonny Bill Williams’ barnstorming comeback to rugby league has seen the Kiwi superstar leapfrog the biggest names in the game into the No 1 position.

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Better than Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater in coming from seventh last year to pole position.

And who could argue?

Is Sonny Bill Williams better than Rabbitoh Greg Inglis?

Statistics will never tell the full story but at least give a good indication.

Last year SBW made more line break assists than any other back-rower in the competition.

He finished second to Josh Papalii in tackle busts, second to Sam Burgess in line-breaks and second behind Corey Parker in offloads.

Johnathan Thurston in action for the Cowboys.

What they don’t tell you is how many of those offloads and around-the-corner passes come from seemingly impossible positions.

How he has perfected the skill and timing of picking his moments, knowing when and where to strike.

A forward with so much skill and so much vision that he even he even filled in at five-eighth on the odd occasion last year.

And how he was the dominant player all year in the Roosters’ premiership-winning side.

Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans looks to offload during a Sea Eagles training session.

Overall the Roosters have eight players in the top 50 – two more than their great rivals South Sydney, showing why tomorrow night’s match will be such a blockbuster opening.

It also shows what an extraordinary job the Roosters do to keep their current roster under the salary cap.

Especially compared to the lowest represented clubs the Bulldogs and Panthers with just one player each – James Graham and Tyrone Peachey.

In the state breakdown, NSW has 25 players to Queensland’s 15.

But in the breakdown of current Origin players in the top 10, QLD has six and NSW just two – Paul Gallen and Jarryd Hayne.

Boom Canberra Anthony Milford makes the list for the first time.

Manly’s outstanding young half-back Daly Cherry Evans has also overtaken Cooper Cronk by one position in the top 10.

The biggest mover from 2013 is the Sharks’ front-rower Andrew Fifita who has gone from not making the list last year to the 11th best player in the game.

Anthony Milford and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck have also made the top 20 despite not being included last year.

BUZZ’S FULL TOP 50 LIST

50. Tyrone Peachey

49. Blake Ferguson

48. Sam Thaiday

47. Jarrod Mullen

46. James Tamou

45. John Sutton

44. James Graham

43. Jorge Taufua

42. Darius Boyd

41. Adam Reynolds

40. Luke Lewis

39. Greg Bird

38. Michael Jennings

37. Trent Merrin

36. Nate Myles

35. Boyd Cordner

34. George Burgess

33. Will Hopoate

32. Josh Papalii

31. Brett Stewart

30. Anthony Watmough

29. Jake Friend

28. Corey Parker

27. Ben Barba

26. Issac Luke

25. Shaun Johnson

24. Brett Morris

23. Mitchell Pearce

22. James Maloney

21. Matt Scott

20. Josh Dugan

19. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

18. Anthony Milford

17. Sam Tomkins

16. Kieran Foran

15. Robbie Farah

14. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves

13. Todd Carney

12. Sam Burgess

11. Andrew Fifita

10. Jamie Lyon

9. Paul Gallen

8. Jarryd Hayne

7. Cooper Cronk

6. Daly Cherry-Evans

5. Billy Slater

4. Cameron Smith

3. Johnathan Thurston

2. Greg Inglis

1. Sonny Bill Williams