Matthew Johns and his fellow Fox Sports rugby league experts pick their Dally M teams of the year

HE’S a four-time Dally M winner, a future Immortal and possibly the greatest player ever. But there’s no spot for Johnathan Thurston in Matthew Johns’ 2016 Dally M Team of the Year.

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HE’S a four-time Dally M winner, a future Immortal and — depending on who you ask — possibly the greatest player the game has seen.

But there’s no spot for Johnathan Thurston in Matthew Johns’ 2016 Dally M Team of the Year.

Why? Well it’s no slight on Thurston’s incredible skills — it’s just that Johns, an unabashed fan of the Cowboys champion, reckons Storm superstar Cooper Cronk has had a better 2016 campaign.

“In a fabulous career, Cronk has had one of his finest seasons. His quality and consistency is a major reason why the Storm were minor premiers,” Johns said of the Melbourne playmaker.

Matthew Johns has named his Dally M team of the year. How close will he get?

With the Dally M Medal night coming up next week, we’ve asked the experts to select their Team of the Year.

Check out who Matthew Johns and his fellow Fox Sports rugby league experts came up with below.

MATTHEW JOHNS DALLY M TEAM OF THE YEAR

Fullback: James Tedesco. In a hot field, Tedesco wins. Great season for the Tigers and a standout performance in State of Origin.

Wing: Suliasi Vunivalu. An incredible rookie season from a young player no-one in the NRL had heard of before his debut game against the Tigers.

Centre: Joey Leilua. A season which saw Joey fulfil his potential. Fast enough to go around a defender or powerful enough to run over the top of him.

Cooper Cronk has been in exceptional form.

Five-eighth: Anthony Milford. Has become the heart and soul of the Broncos attack. Is the best running threat in Rugby League.

Halfback: Cooper Cronk. In a fabulous career, Cronk has had one of his finest seasons. His quality and consistency is a major reason why the Storm were minor premiers.

Lock: Jason Taumalolo. The most damaging big man in the game. Rare to have someone who’s so explosive, yet can play long minutes.

Back-rower: Josh Papalli. Damaging runner and defender who in 2016 benefited from Ricky Stuart’s tough training regime.

Front-rower: Jesse Bromwich. Size, speed, stamina and great footwork. The world’s best front-rower.

Hooker: Josh Hodgson. To keep Cameron Smith out of the team of the year will take something special, and that’s what Hodgson has delivered. The Raiders have enjoyed a great season, and Hodgson is their most important player.

The no-brainer: Josh Hodgson. My player of the year.

The cruellest cut: Johnathan Thurston. Because he’s Johnathan Thurston.

POSITION	NATHAN HINDMARSH	MARK GASNIER	BRYAN FLETCHER	GORDEN TALLIS
FULLBACK	James Tedesco	Matt Moylan	Darius Boyd	Matt Moylan
WING	Jordan Rapana	Josh Mansour	Jordan Rapana	Jordan Rapana
CENTRE	Joey Leilua	Joey Leilua	Joey Leilua	Joey Leilua
FIVE-EIGHTH	Anthony Milford	James Maloney	James Maloney	Mitchell Moses
HALFBACK	Johnathan Thurston	Johnathan Thurston	Cooper Cronk	Johnathan Thurston
LOCK	Jason Taumalolo	Jason Taumalolo	Jason Taumalolo	Jason Taumalolo
SECOND ROW	Matt Gillett	Wade Graham	Matt Gillett	Matt Gillett
HOOKER	Josh Hodgson	Josh Hodgson	Josh Hodgson	Josh Hodgson
PROP	Jesse Bromwich	Jesse Bromwich	Aaron Woods	Jesse Bromwich
NO-BRAINER	Johnathan Thurston, hands down the best player in the world. Who wouldn’t want him in their side?	Jesse Bromwich. There have been a lot of great props this year but Bromwich is special. Special in the way that he can tear a team apart with either his brute force, offloading, short passing or footwork.	Cooper Cronk – the ringmaster of the Melbourne Storm. The way he organises a rugby league team whether it’s for the Storm, Queensland or Australia makes him the first player picked.	Jason Taumalolo. The player’s voted him the best player – your peers are the harshest judges.
CRUELEST CUT	Cameron Smith. Hard to leave Smith out but I have Hodgson as my player of the year.	James Tedesco, Cody Walker, Dale Finucane and Ben Barba - I couldn’t pick just one as they all deserve a special mention and were outstanding all year.	Matt Moylan. Huge back end to the year, but Boyd was in career-best form all year and his consistency got him the nod.	Cooper Cronk. Up against his good mate Johnathan Thurston. Tough to choose. Literally a toss of the coin.

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Originally published as Matthew Johns and his fellow Fox Sports rugby league experts pick their Dally M teams of the year