Which NRL stars can finals contenders least afford to lose?
The NRL Judiciary will have a big say on the makeup of the 2023 NRL finals after its match review committee charged nine prominent players with various offences likely to impact several clubs locked in a tense top-eight battle.
The NRL race to the finals is so tight that just one loss in the last seven rounds could be the difference between playing September football or packing up for 2023.
The seventh-placed Parramatta Eels will have to continue winning without forward leader Reagan Campbell-Gillard and star winger Maika Sivo, who were among nine players charged by the NRL match review committee over the weekend.
Titans power forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is also facing a stint on the sidelines, although there was some good news for the second-placed Brisbane Broncos concerning their star fullback, Reece Walsh.
Walsh will be rushed back into action for Friday night’s blockbuster against South Sydney on the Sunshine Coast after the NRL’s judiciary chair, Justice Geoffrey Bellew, upheld an appeal by the Broncos in which they argued last week’s State of Origin game should have counted toward his suspension.
Walsh was originally suspended until round 22 after being found guilty of contrary conduct for abusing referee Chris Butler in Brisbane’s round 18 loss to the Titans.
The struggling Sydney Roosters look like being without two key forwards for some weeks with both prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and lock Victor Radley, who have priors, among those charged with offences last weekend.
It raises the question: which players can’t clubs afford to lose to injury or suspension in the run-up to the finals?
These are players clubs lean on the most to be match-winners or game-changers and who are paid accordingly to step up in the big games.
There are some NRL teams – like the Broncos, Sharks and Warriors – who rely more heavily than others on a marquee player to produce those special plays in clutch situations.
They are usually players with a cool head and ice in their veins, and all the top teams have them.
So let’s look at a few of the special players who carry the premiership hopes of their clubs and fans.
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Adam Reynolds (Brisbane Broncos)
Everything the Broncos do revolves around their puppet master; he pulls the strings.
Sure, fullback Reece Walsh and winger Selwyn Cobbo are brilliant in attack and big Payne Haas is a metre-eating machine, but everything stems from Adam Reynolds in the halves.
Brisbane were in a commanding position at this stage last season but capitulated to miss the finals.
They haven’t won a premiership since beating Melbourne Storm 15-8 in 2006.
The Broncos now sit level on 30 points apiece with league leaders Penrith, and Reynolds has been instrumental in their success so far this season.
His kicking in general play is close to the best in the NRL, he is goal-kicking at around 75 per cent, and he has had 15 try assists and 12 line breaks this season.
His tackle efficiency rate is better than 90 per cent.
Reynolds left the field late in Brisbane’s big win over Canterbury at the weekend with what appeared to be a wrist issue.
Shaun Johnson (New Zealand Warriors)
The man Kiwis call ‘Magic’ is living up to his nickname this season and playing some of the best football of his career.
It’s no coincidence the New Zealand Warriors are in finals discussions with Shaun Johnson at the peak of his powers.
He makes the players around him better – the mark of a true champion.
Johnson’s confidence is sky-high and his teammates are benefitting.
Punted by Cronulla at the end of 2021, Johnson would have enjoyed guiding the Warriors to a 44-12 shellacking of the Sharks at the weekend.
That result put the Auckland-based side in fifth place on the NRL ladder, just one win outside the top four.
Johnson is the complete package.
He has scored 146 points so far this season, ranking fourth behind Dolphins fullback Jamayne Isako (173).
He is third in try assists (19) and leads the league in kicking with 9,576 metres from 312 kicks, while he has also forced 16 dropouts and improved his defensive efficiency this season.
The Warriors are a much-improved outfit under rookie coach Andrew Webster, who has been a revelation, but without Johnson’s guile and on-field leadership, they are not as potent.
Dylan Edwards (Penrith Panthers)
The Penrith Panthers have coped remarkably well without their on-field general, Nathan Cleary, who could be back this weekend, but it might be a different story if they had lost fullback Dylan Edwards for the finals.
Edwards is always on the fringe of Origin (and even national) selection talk for a very good reason, and his worth to the Panthers in Cleary’s absence has been invaluable.
He does so many things for the cause and last weekend against the Dolphins when coach Ivan Cleary rested several players, he stepped into the goal-kicking role and slotted two magnificent sideline conversions when the game was on the line.
Look at his game-running stats this season.
He is second in tackle breaks (107), behind Newcastle’s Greg Marzhew, and leads the league in runs (372), run metres (3,670m), kick return metres (1,277m) and support plays (148).
Edwards’ high involvement makes him a real danger-man through the middle and in broken play.
Clint Gutherson (Parramatta Eels)
Parramatta rely heavily on halfback Mitchell Moses to run the side and he does carry much of the load.
But fullback and skipper Clint Gutherson’s football nous and highly competitive nature make life a lot easier for Moses and takes some of the pressure off at times when he gets involved in the decision-making.
Gutherson is just one of many talented fullbacks in the NRL at the moment, and he has his own special qualities that can influence a game.
He has carried on from last year, when he was the game’s best at returning kicks with 1,618 metres – a long way in front of his nearest rival, James Tedesco (1219m).
A lot of his qualities – like effort, desire, and competitiveness – can’t be measured in stats, but they are factors which greatly help the cause.
Gutherson is currently third on the try-scoring list, behind Newcastle’s Dominic Young (18) and Titan star Alofiana Khan-Pereira (17) with 16 tries, but has played fewer games than the two men above him.
Nicho Hynes (Cronulla Sharks)
The Cronulla Sharks would be in deep trouble if they lost Nicho Hynes for the finals.
While it’s fair to say the star halfback hasn’t been anywhere near as dominant as he was last season, when he took out the Dally M Player of the Year, he still imposes himself on a game better than most.
He is a genuine all-round playmaker who loves to get his hands on the ball in pressure situations.
With him at the helm, the Sharks are the NRL’s second-most potent team with 469 points this season – only six behind Parramatta (475).
Cronulla make more line breaks and sit third in tackle breaks under Hynes’ leadership, and as long as he is calling the shots, the Sharks are still a chance to win the title.
Cody Walker (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
What can you say about this mercurial playmaker who is like a bottle of fine red wine which gets better with age?
Few players look as silky with the ball in their hands and can dumbfound defences like Cody Walker – who, after several seasons at the top, is still one of the best at engaging opposition lines.
Already this season he has racked up 20 try assists, 24 line breaks, 12 offloads and touched the ball more than 700 times for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Walker’s ability to inject himself into the attack at any time is his trademark, and most times it results in a try or sets one up for his team.
Even at the age of 33, Walker has still got that special something.
He’s not the quickest player across the ground, but he is definitely one of the smartest and most creative playmakers in the NRL.
He showed his class recently when NSW coach Brad Fittler recalled him to the Origin arena and he delivered yet again, showing he is more than capable of performing at the highest level.
