After each round of the NRL season, nswrl.com.au selects the round’s best 13 of New South Wales eligible players. These selections are based on the writers' opinions and do not reflect the views of the NSWRL or the selection process for the Westpac NSW Blues. Captaincy is awarded based on that week's on-field performance and is not based on club captaincy or leadership qualities.
1. Dylan Edwards. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW appearances: 1.
Edwards always gives his all for Penrith and that was certainly the case in the local derby against the Parramatta Eels. The Panthers custodian ran for 313 metres including 57 post-contact, came up with 10 tackle busts and one offload.
2. Jacob Kiraz. Club: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW appearances: 3.
Kiraz has been in great touch for the Bulldogs to start the season and is currently in equal-second place on the Dally M Leaderboard. He got the Bulldogs off to a perfect start against the Warriors after scoring the opening try and finished the match with 192 running metres including 58 post-contact, six tackle busts and five offloads.
3. Kotoni Staggs. Club: Brisbane Broncos. SOO appearances: 1. TOTW appearances: 2.
Staggs has been in scintillating form since the season started and has played a role in the Broncos remaining unbeaten at the top of the table. In the ‘Battle of Brisbane’ against the Dolphins, Staggs ran for 237 metres including 47 post-contact, made a line break, a line break assist, four tackle breaks, an offload and came up with a length of the field try with three minutes to go to seal the result.
4. Jesse Ramien. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW appearances: 1.
The Sharks centre is a handful for any defence when he is on song and St George Illawarra Dragons found that out the hard way. With halfback Nicho Hynes back and calling the shots, Ramien scored two tries, had three line breaks, a line break assist, five tackle breaks, two offloads, and 131 running metres.
5. Sunia Turuva. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW appearances: 1.
Turuva has made the most of his opportunities since receiving the call-up at the start of the year after winger Taylan May suffered a season-ending knee injury. Against the Parramatta Eels, the Fijian pocket rocket ran for 319 metres – the most of any player from both sides – including 54 post-contact and made three tackle breaks.
6. Cody Walker. Club: South Sydney Rabbitohs. SOO appearances: 4. TOTW appearances: 1.
It was an emotional night for South Sydney Rabbitohs against Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with the club wishing to honour the late John Sattler and Walker rose to the occasion. He scored two tries – his first was a great example for any young player about never giving up on the play after he chased a kick down in-goal and grounded it just before it went dead – ran for 99 metres, broke the line and had a line break assist.
7. Nicho Hynes (c). Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW appearances: 1.
The reigning Dally M Medallist had missed the first three rounds of the competition with a niggling calf problem but didn’t take long to reassert his dominance against St George Illawarra Dragons. The Sharks halfback ran for 148 metres, came up with five line break assists, three try assists, three tackle bsuts and an offload.
8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard. Club: Parramatta Eels. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 2.
Campbell-Gillard spent just 57 minutes on CommBank Stadium but ran the most metres for anyone in the Eels team – a stunning 255.
He made 24 runs in that tireless effort, with 81 post-contact metres, had 25 receipts – the most of any Eels forward – and made 27 tackles.
9. Damien Cook: Club: South Sydney Rabbitohs. SOO appearances: 15. TOTW selections: 1.
It’s taken four rounds but Cook couldn’t be denied a TOTW selection despite some strong hooker competition for another week in a row.
He had 123 receipts and made 50 tackles, two kicks for 55 metres, eight runs for 63 metres, plus a tackle bust and try assist in what was an emotional game for the Rabbitohs honouring Sattler.
10. Payne Haas. Club: Brisbane Broncos. SOO appearances: 9. TOTW: selections: 3.
Not only did Staggs score the match-winning try for Brisbane, his Westpac NSW Blues teammate Payne Haas picked up the inaugural ‘Battle Medal’ for the Broncos.
Haas never disappoints in busting through defenders – another four this week giving him 18 over four matches. He also made 16 runs for 157 metres, 70 of those post-contact, and was on the field for just 57 minutes.
11. Tyson Frizell. Club: Newcastle Knights. SOO appearances: 14. TOTW selections: 1.
Frizell displayed the form that earned him 14 Origin jerseys in the impressive win over the Canberra Raiders on Sunday.
He scored his first try for 2023 – his seventh for the Knights in his third season – along with a line-break, four tackle busts and 152 metres off 13 runs. A noted defender, he didn’t disappoint there either with 34 tackles, and no misses.
12. Zac Hosking. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Hosking made his first NRL game for 2023 a memorable one playing all 83 minutes against the Eels and making 54 tackles without missing any.
In his 12 runs for 109 metres, the Central Newcastle Butcher Boys junior scored a try, had a line break, five tackle busts, and two offloads.
13. Isaah Yeo. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 8. TOTW selections: 1.
In his 199th NRL game Yeo wasn’t going to let anyone get past him. He made an incredible 50 tackles without missing any.
In attack he was just as solid with 17 runs for 152 metres, a line break, two tackle breaks and two offloads.
