Phil Rothfield names his NRL Dally M team of the year for 2021

Sports Editor-at-large Phil Rothfield has named his Dally M team of the year for 2021 and among the bolters is a new entrant in the game’s elite.

At the start of the season the odds of New Zealand Warriors reject Isaiah Papali’i making the Dally M team of the year would have been a million-to-one.

Unwanted at the Warriors, the 22-year-old made his way to the Parramatta Eels on a contract worth not much more than $120,000 as a possible back-up for Ryan Matterson and Shaun Lane as an edge forward.

This is 10 per cent of what his Gold Coast Titans rival David Fifita earns to play in the same position.

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Isaiah Papali'i has had a breakout season (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Yet it is almost impossible to leave the rampaging young forward out of a Dally M team of the year with just four rounds remaining before the winners are crowned.

It’s not often that highly regarded Warriors recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan gets one wrong like this guy.

“He needed a change of scenery and needed to start working hard,” O’Sullivan said on Sunday. “He got really fit, it’s that simple. Last year we had to replace him sometimes after 10 or 15 minutes.

“He’s gone away, got himself into shape and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Papali’i has run the most metres of any forward in the competition and deserves to be named alongside Fifita as second-rowers in the team of the year. Despite criticism for inconsistency, Fifita has made 128 tackle breaks this year, well ahead of any other player.

Josh Papali’i has run the most metres of any forward in the NRL (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

FULLBACK

Seriously, how do you separate champions like Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and James Tedesco? Plus leave out Kalyn Ponga, Clint Gutherson and AJ Brimson from nominations?

While Tedesco and Latrell have been outstanding, Trbojevic has become not just the best fullback this year but the best player in the entire competition. In 12 games he has 18 tries, 24 try assists, 35 line break assists and averages 180 metres a game.

WINGERS

Alex Johnston is the premiership’s leading try-scorer, the beneficiary of the stunning skills on South Sydney’s left side. Still it’s hard to beat NSW State of Origin wingers Josh Addo-Carr and Brian To’o for the team of the year.

CENTRES

Matt Burton showed over the weekend against the Sydney Roosters he is now among the top 10 players in the competition. He has played mostly at centre and deserves to be in the team of the year with the Sydney Roosters’ Joey Manu. Melbourne Storm hard man Justin Olam is a desperately unlucky omission.

FIVE-EIGHTH

Cody Walker was snubbed by Freddy Fittler and Greg Alexander for State of Origin, even after Jarome Luai was ruled out for the final game of the series. Walker has 31 try assists this year, six more than his nearest rival Nicho Hynes. He deserves the spot ahead of Luai and the Wests Tigers’ Adam Doueihi, who has had a belter of year in a poor side.

Cody Walker has the most try assists of any player (Photo by Handout/NRL Photos via Getty Images )

HALFBACK

Impossible to go past Nathan Cleary, who is now widely regarded as the best halfback in the competition. Adam Reynolds at the Rabbitohs, Jahrome Hughes at Storm and Daly Cherry Evans at the Sea Eagles have also been magnificent too.

LOCK

One of the toughest calls here. We’re running with Cam Murray from the Rabbitohs of lock forward of the year, just a coat of paint ahead of Penrith Panther star Isaah Yeo. They are both great players and perform every week. At Melbourne Storm Dale Finucane and Nelson Asofa-Solomona have had terrific seasons.

David Fifita has busted the most tackles of any player (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

EDGE FORWARDS

Isaiah Papali’I and David Fifita get the nod, although Angus Crichton at the Roosters, Josh Schuster at Manly and Kenny Bromwich at Storm wouldn’t be out of place.

PROPS

A double for the Kiwis here with James Fisher-Harris and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. Big, strong, powerful men who control the middle every week and terrorise opponents. Daniel Saifiti at the Knights and Junior Paulo at the Parramatta Eels have also turned up and delivered each week.

HOOKER

This is one of the easier choices. It is seriously impossible to go past Melbourne Storm’s Brandon Smith. This isn’t to say Damien Cook or Api Koroisau have struggled. In fact, far from it. It’s just that Smith has become one of the game’s most valuable players. He’s scored the most tries and made the most linebreaks and linebreak assists of all the hookers.