2022 RLPA Team of the Year

[Big Pete]

1. James Tedesco (nominees: Latrell Mitchell, Dylan Edwards)
2. Daniel Tupou (nominees: Josh Addo-Carr, Alex Johnston)
3. Justin Olam (nominees: Valentine Holmes, Siosifa Talakai)
4. Joseph Manu (nominees: Valentine Holmes, Siosifa Talakai)
5. Joseph Suaalii (nominees: Josh Addo-Carr, Alex Johnston)
6. Cameron Munuster (nominees: Dylan Brown, Tom Dearden
7. Ben Hunt (nominees: Nicho Hynes, Nathan Cleary)
8. James Fisher-Harris (nominees: Jared Warea-Hargreaves, Payne Haas)
9. Api Koroisau (nominees: Reece Robson, Harry Grant)
10. Joseph Tapine (nominees: Jared Warea-Hargreaves, Payne Haas)
11. Isaiah Papali'i (nominees: Viliame Kikau, Angus Crichton)
12. Jeremiah Nanai (nominees:Viliame Kikau, Angus Crichton)
13. Cameron Murray (nominees: Isaah Yeo, Victor Radley)

 

[Big Pete]

Interesting team list, I'd say the two biggest surprise selections is Ben Hunt over Cleary and Suaalii in the side. It's crazy just how much he's been hyped south of the border, he's easily in the Top 10 most publicised players in the competition. Any hype that was surrounding Selwyn Cobbo has completely diminished by comparison.

The only mention of a Bronco is Payne Haas at prop which again shows you what the wider Rugby League community thinks of the team.

 

[BroncsFan]

It may as well be renamed to "team of the final month"

 

[Sproj]

I don't mind the team, I think it is fairly accurate to be honest. Obviously Oates should be in there over either of the Roosters wingers but other than that, the rest is hard to argue.

 

[Fitzy]

Interesting team list, I'd say the two biggest surprise selections is Ben Hunt over Cleary and Suaalii in the side. It's crazy just how much he's been hyped south of the border, he's easily in the Top 10 most publicised players in the competition. Any hype that was surrounding Selwyn Cobbo has completely diminished by comparison.

The only mention of a Bronco is Payne Haas at prop which again shows you what the wider Rugby League community thinks of the team.

Whilst Selwyn is the only one who can completely change the course of a game in his own, Suaalii is so much better than Selwyn it isn’t even funny. Deserves the hype and all cause for a 19 year old he is pretty bloody special. He has very few errors in his game, matches the physicality and is as reliable as all buggery.

He 100% deserves to be on that list. Only remote competitor is Alex but put him on the other edge and he does/gets nothing. He finishes them off time after time to give him credit but everyone knows 90% of those are created by Cody or latrell inside of him and he goes over relatively untouched. Gets him in the conversation but when that’s the essential mould of your game the only award you win is the top try scorer.

 

[Big Pete]

Suaalii is so much better than Selwyn it isn’t even funny.

I can't agree with that, at least based on what we've seen from both so far. Suaalii is obviously very talented, but so is Cobbo and I still think both players have to develop more to be considered the best wingers in the game.

 

[mrslong]

I think Val Holmes hard done by too, he’s definitely had a better year than Olam.

 

[Fitzy]

I can't agree with that, at least based on what we've seen from both so far. Suaalii is obviously very talented, but so is Cobbo and I still think both players have to develop more to be considered the best wingers in the game.

Of course they both need to develop more but the point is Suaalii is well and truely in the conversation whilst Selwyn is not. I think Selwyn at the minute looks like he will have a far more prosperous career at Fullback when he properly develops but as an outside back and a bit more specifically a winger Suaalii is currently heaps better. Yes you could argue that Joseph has been fortunate to have a pretty good run this year with injuries and the whole lot which has helped him develop but the same point stands. I’m as biased as they come when I want to be and I love Selwyn but I ain’t going to sit here and blow smoke up his ass when really the back end of the season despite his struggles with concussion he doesn’t really deserve it.

Also little side note I don’t think at the minute there is a clear cut best winger in the game. A great class of exceptional player wingers exist currently but none stand out as you are the absolute best of the bunch. They all have their areas they excel in.

 

[Big Pete]

Of course they both need to develop more but the point is Suaalii is well and truely in the conversation whilst Selwyn is not. I think Selwyn at the minute looks like he will have a far more prosperous career at Fullback when he properly develops but as an outside back and a bit more specifically a winger Suaalii is currently heaps better. Yes you could argue that Joseph has been fortunate to have a pretty good run this year with injuries and the whole lot which has helped him develop but the same point stands. I’m as biased as they come when I want to be and I love Selwyn but I ain’t going to sit here and blow smoke up his ass when really the back end of the season despite his struggles with concussion he doesn’t really deserve it.

Also little side note I don’t think at the minute there is a clear cut best winger in the game. A great class of exceptional player wingers exist currently but none stand out as you are the absolute best of the bunch. They all have their areas they excel in.

Suaalii's form to end the year was undoubtedly better but on the whole it was a pretty even season for both guys. My point wasn't necessarily that Selwyn was hard done by, just that the media and RL community moves on very quickly when pumping up prospects.

Personally I think Penrith deserved better representation than they got. They're playing at a completely different level to the rest of the competition, whereas the Roosters left their run way too late and paid the price.

 

[BooKhaki]

Suaalii's form to end the year was undoubtedly better but on the whole it was a pretty even season for both guys. My point wasn't necessarily that Selwyn was hard done by, just that the media and RL community moves on very quickly when pumping up prospects.

Personally I think Penrith deserved better representation than they got. They're playing at a completely different level to the rest of the competition, whereas the Roosters left their run way too late and paid the price.

Suaalii is so much better than Cobbo, and has a much higher ceiling. He is younger, yet more physically developed and more mature.

 

[Big Pete]

Suaalii is so much better than Cobbo, and has a much higher ceiling. He is younger, yet more physically developed and more mature.

He may have a higher ceiling we don't know yet, but based on what they produced so far, Suaalii hasn't been 'so much better'.

 

[BooKhaki]

He may have a higher ceiling we don't know yet, but based on what they produced so far, Suaalii hasn't been 'so much better'.

Yeah, he has. Unless you don't take errors into consideration when comparing a players performance.

 

[Big Pete]

Yeah, he has. Unless you don't take errors into consideration when comparing a players performance.

I take everything into consideration, not just cherry-picked stats.

 

[BooKhaki]

I take everything into consideration, not just cherry-picked stats.

What was Cobbo better at this year? I'd hate to bring up errors and defensive reads...ya know, don't wanna cherry pick.

 

[Big Pete]

What was Cobbo better at this year? I'd hate to bring up errors and defensive reads...ya know, don't wanna cherry pick.

They were even when it came to defensive reads, which is a fairly common theme amongst their season. Which is why pretending that Suaalii was 'so much better' is laughable.

 

[BooKhaki]

They were even when it came to defensive reads, which is a fairly common theme amongst their season. Which is why pretending that Suaalii was 'so much better' is laughable.

Disagree completely. The worst Sualii looked was when he was moved to fullback because he didn't want to pass the ball. He was much better on the wing when compared to Cobbo.

 

[mrslong]

Personally I think Penrith deserved better representation than they got. They're playing at a completely different level to the rest of the competition, whereas the Roosters left their run way too late and paid the price.

What is happening to Cleary and Penrith is what happenned to Lockyer and the Broncos - their class above everyone else is taken for granted and doesn't get the recognition they deserve.

At least they didn't give Latrell the award, that would have been too much.

 

[Big Pete]

Disagree completely. The worst Sualii looked was when he was moved to fullback because he didn't want to pass the ball. He was much better on the wing when compared to Cobbo.

That's the issue, Suaalii didn't really start to stand out until around the second half of the season and even then he was hardly consistent. He may have had a higher baseline than Cobbo, but at their best I can't say Suaalii out-performed Cobbo let alone blew him out of the water.