Christian Welch: My 17 of NRL 2024’s most underrated players and what makes them so good

Say you have 150 running metres as a prop; you’re considered to have had a good day at the office. Yet that number, though impressive, isn’t necessarily reflective of the impact you’ve had on the game. Genuine impact can be harder to quantify and so can escape attention.

Team-first actions that don’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet are what successful clubs value most. Actions that fulfill your role in the team, while helping teammates more easily get theirs done. Look at Penrith, for example.

Everyone raves about James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota’s physicality and ball-running, and rightfully so. But watch them when they are the third man into the tackle, pinning the legs then working so hard to get up off the ground and sprint back into the defensive line for the next tackle. By not having any defender out of the play it allows Penrith to have a thicker defensive line and alleviate pressure on the edges.

They are so good at pressuring the kickers, getting into a sprint on the last tackle after a taxing set of defence. This pressure allows the likes of Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o and Sunia Turuva to get easier catches on misdirected kicks, which start the Panthers’ sets off so well.

I see the Penrith edges work so hard to get behind the play-the-ball after an opposition kick to hold some width in attack, so that the guys taking the early carries in a set (typically the wingers) are running into a defensive line that can’t tighten up and is slightly more spread out.

Yes, the Panthers have some brilliant players who can make big plays. But equally, I’d say it’s all these effort areas from a well-coached side like Penrith that eventually choke you out. They take a lot of effort and often don’t make stat sheets, let alone highlight reels, but they’re hugely important.

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Those little efforts often go unnoticed, but they’re at the heart of good football teams and typify ‘underrated’ players; guys who teammates love playing alongside and opposing players respect. Or, maybe it’s a bit of physical X-factor; pace you just can’t catch in broken play, or a body shape that’s bloody hard to tackle.

Here is a 17-man line-up of players who I reckon are currently the NRL’s most underrated. (Note: All stats via FOX Sports Lab).

FULLBACK: Keano Kini, Titans

As I was cheering on our Storm feeder club - Easts Tigers - in the Queensland Cup grand final last year, I noticed Kini, who was the best on ground by a mile for the Burleigh Bears. He’s incredibly quick and elusive, and still just 19 years old.

When I think of some of the best fullbacks in the game today, the likes of Reece Walsh and Ryan Papenhuyzen … teams are so good at defending now, but speed kills. The ability of a fullback to burn a defender with his pace in a three-on-three situation, create an overlap and make the right decision, you can’t really coach that stuff.

Kini is a very similar style of player to Walsh and Papenhuyzen. Seeing him running off the back of a quick play-the-ball from Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita or Mo Fotuaika will be a scary proposition for opposition teams. And if he gets involved in second-phase or broken play and gets in some space, you’re not going to catch him.

WING: Jesse Arthars, Broncos

Jesse is one who got away from us down here at Melbourne. It’s taken a little while, but he’s really blossomed in the past few years and is still only 25.

He’s got a fairly lean, slight build, yet is actually really hard to handle and takes on a big workload helping Brisbane exit their yardage situations. He’s got nice skills and is also a good aerial target for kicks. He ran for 171 metres in Las Vegas, on top of recording a try assist, and I thought he was one of the Broncos’ better players in last year’s grand final, notching their equal-most metres (163).

CENTRE: Matthew Timoko, Raiders

In preparation for games against Canberra, Craig Bellamy highlights this guy a fair bit, especially how strong he is carrying the ball. He’s averaged 53 post-contact metres per game since the start of last season and made 19 offloads, so he’s a real powerful player who can create opportunities for the Raiders.

His average 144 run metres per game is big output for a centre and he’s also made 111 tackle busts since the start of last year. The New Zealander is just 24, so his best football is in front of him.

CENTRE: Zac Laybutt, Cowboys

The Papua New Guinea international has just turned 22 and he put on a clinic against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium in round one: two tries, two line breaks and 175 run metres. That’s pretty handy for just your sixth NRL game. He’s got a long frame, nice speed and good evasive skills.

The Cowboys lost Peta Hiku but look to have found a really nice centre replacement to pair with Valentine Holmes. With some standout players in the spine and forward pack, he compliments that North Queensland side well in the outside backs.

WING: Phillip Sami, Titans

Sami is one of the best yardage ball-carriers in the NRL. The way he can start off sets for the Titans is so important. He’s got a big body, yet is also speedy and powerful, evidenced by averaging 50 post-contract metres per game since the start of last season (from a total run metre average of 158, with 114 tackle busts).

Still only 26, Phil was the first signing extension under new Gold Coast coach Des Hasler, with a three-year deal underlining the regard he’s held in. Mind you, he’ll chew your ear off after a few drinks in Queensland State of Origin camp and is a rubbish poker player.

FIVE-EIGHTH: Luke Brooks, Sea Eagles

Brooks is a funny one to have here in the sense that he’s been an NRL playmaker for a decade. We often speak at the Storm about each player knowing their role and simply doing that; it feels like Brooks was pulled in different directions during his time at Wests Tigers, given their personnel changes and results, whereas at Manly he can play second-fiddle to DCE. He can focus on running the ball - which he does really well, averaging more than 10 metres per carry since the start of last season - and organising his edge.

I think NRL fans will get a real appreciation this season for how good a player Brooks is, once he has a tighter focus on his individual role. We saw early glimpses of that during Manly’s win in Vegas and Sea Eagles fans should be pretty excited about the 29-year-old pairing up with DCE.

HALFBACK: Braydon Trindall, Sharks

Trindall is a crafty half with a nice running game. He complements Nicho Hynes’ role as the main playmaker and organiser at the Sharks.

There’s a touch of Cody Walker about Trindall’s play. He’s a natural, instinctive footballer who plays eyes-up footy and has the knack of finding an opportunity.

PROP: Max King, Bulldogs

King is a great player who has faced some adversity with injuries, particularly during his time in Melbourne; that really held him back at the Storm. But particularly with the Bulldogs investing a lot of their salary cap in elite backline players during recent recruitment, Kingy has stood up in the middle of the field.

He averages about 34 tackles a game, has great leg-speed and nice offloading ability. He’s been a great pick-up for Canterbury amid some upheaval in their pack, with the exits of Tevita Pangai Jr and Luke Thompson. Still just 26 years old.

HOOKER: Jeremy Marshall-King, Dolphins

I don’t proclaim to know too much about hooking craft, so I asked my little mate Harry Grant for a steer and he had strong raps on Marshall-King, 28.

Harry’s comments: A really creative player who manipulates the ruck well. How straight he plays and his ability to tow his forwards onto the ball is a strength, plus he has a nice ability to pick the right moment to run and use his speed to take on the defence.

PROP: Terrell May, Roosters

I just hate tackling guys like May; shortish guys, but with really thick, powerful bodies and plenty of leg-speed. May, 24, provides a lot of explosiveness off the bench for the Roosters and he’s got a really nice offload. He’s made 20 offloads across 2023-24, which bring the likes of James Tedesco, Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii into play against un-set defensive lines.

Round one in Las Vegas gave us an early look this year at how good May is: 21 tackles with no misses, three offloads and 152 run metres. He’s off-contract and I reckon he’ll be getting a nice little pay rise wherever he ends up.

BACK-ROW: Eli Katoa, Storm

With the departure of Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, Eli has been such a good pick-up for our Storm team. He’d played rugby union basically all his life until converting to league with the Warriors, where he debuted in 2020. He’s just turned 24 and should anchor our right edge for almost the next decade.

He’s already got 68 games under his belt and he’s just getting better every year. He’s a really powerful ball-runner, a skillful passer and has a great motor for such a big, powerful body, averaging just under 100 run metres a game across 2023-24 with 45 tackle breaks and 21 offloads.

And, a card shark at poker. Very good.

BACK-ROW: Jackson Ford, Warriors

Ford, 26, is such an underappreciated signing for the Warriors. He gets through a mountain of work, averaging almost 33 tackles per game, and he helps give their side a really nice blend of forwards; part of the reason they had such a good season last year.

You’re combining the power of guys like Addin Fonua-Blake, Bunty Afoa and Tohu Harris with the workload and smarts of Ford and Kurt Capewell. Capewell and Ford do all those little one percenters, particularly in defence, with Ford averaging 32.4 tackles per game since the start of last season.

LOCK: Tom Eisenhuth, Dragons

I may be a bit biased, but Tommy is such a great player. He’ll rarely show up on a highlights reel but players love playing with him; I certainly did at Melbourne Storm. He gets through a mountain of work and made 39 tackles on the weekend in his Dragons NRL debut, with only one miss. From the start of last season, he’s averaged just 0.6 misses per game.

He’s got the body of an accountant, but is deceptively strong with a nice offloading ability. Now 31, he won’t give you 200 metres per game but he’s very crafty in creating momentum with quick play-the-balls; of 102 carries across 2023-24, only eight play-the-balls have been rated slow. Tom’s only issue has been his body holding him back with recurring injuries, so here’s hoping he can stay healthy, because he’s a great fella and will be such a nice pick-up for the Dragons.

BENCH: Blayke Brailey, Sharks

Again, I’ll defer to the hooking expertise of Harry Grant. He says: A really well-rounded dummy-half who provides very clean service. No surprise that he brings the best out of the guys beside him.

You only have to look at the rise of Nicho Hynes, who was going great at the Storm yet has taken it to the next level at Cronulla by winning a Dally M Medal and cementing himself as one of the best players in the NRL; it helps that he’s catching passes from Brailey, 25. He’s not a big guy but is averaging just over 40 tackles per game since the start of last season. I think much like Cam McInnes, his ability to do a lot of the defensive grunt work really opens up Cronulla’s explosive attacking forwards like Royce Hunt, Brayden Hamlin-Uele and Oregon Kaufusi.

BENCH: Lindsay Smith, Panthers

Penrith’s success has meant that it’s hard for them to keep their squad together, due to salary cap pressures. Guys like Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo and James Fisher-Harris are a huge reason why the Panthers have won three premierships in a row, but sometimes overlooked is how well clubs replace departed players with either young or recycled talent. Lindsay Smith, 24, has done an awesome job in that regard for the Panthers.

He’s a big body at 194cm and has the ability to find quick play-the-balls for Cleary and Luai to get on the back of; from 235 runs since the start of last season, he’s only been put on his back 10 times. Then in defence, he brings a lot of starch and effort, including in those little one per cent areas that Penrith have really valued during their run of success.

BENCH: Hame Sele, Dragons

He missed the opening round due to a hamstring injury but Sele will be a welcome return for the Dragons. Like Terrell May, he’s really hard to handle; a quick, explosive player with a powerful, nuggety build. From 187 runs since the start of last season, he’s only been put on his back 26 times. He has good leg-speed and he’s also a strong defender. He dropped me a couple of times last year when we played the Bunnies.

I really rate him and he’ll complement some of the Dragons’ more blue-collar workers, like Blake Lawrie, Tom Eisenhuth and Jack de Belin.

BENCH: Sitili Tupouniua, Roosters

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Perhaps it’s hard to say that this guy’s underrated, given we’ve all seen what he can do, but it’s exciting to see him coming back into our game after all that time out with his ACL injury. He’s still only 26.

The Roosters must be that excited to have him back on the field. He’s a threat with his leg-speed and physicality, and I think he’ll be a big part of the reason why we see the Chooks back up near the top of the ladder this season.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Jamal Fogarty (Raiders), Lachlan Croker (Sea Eagles), Siua Wong (Roosters), Beau Fermor (Titans), Sean Keppie (Rabbitohs), Taine Tuaupiki (Warriors).