During the 2025 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. Players who are sent off, or suspended by the NRL match review committee, are ineligible for Team of the Week nominations.
1. James Tedesco. Club: Sydney Roosters. SOO appearances: 23. TOTW selections: 4.
The Roosters captain and fullback was at his damaging best against the Dolphins and a worthy recipient of the Captain’s armband for Player of the Week.
He ran for 271 metres including 74 post-contact, had 10 tackle busts, made two line breaks, had two line-break assists and two try assists in a dominant performance.
2. Jacob Kiraz. Club: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said Kiraz must be banging the door down for a NSW jumper after his performance against the Gold Coast Titans and his stats backed up that argument.
Kiraz bagged a treble, ran for 227 metres, made two line-breaks, had two line-break assists, a try assist and 14 tackle busts and gave halfback Toby Sexton a handy target to shoot for with his cross-field bombs.
3. Bradman Best. Club: Newcastle Knights. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 2.
The robust Knights centre finally saw some ball against South Sydney Rabbitohs and turned in a performance that was worthy of his barnstorming best.
As well as scoring a try, Best ran for 219 metres including 66 post-contact, had a try assist, a line break and a line-break assist and made six tackle busts.
4. Stephen Crichton. Club: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. SOO appearances: 9. TOTW selections: 0.
Crichton is widely regarded as one of the best centres in the NRL and he lived up to that reputation with a clinical performance against the Gold Coast Titans.
He had a 100 per cent record with the boot after landing 7 goals for a 14-point haul, ran for 177 metres, had two line breaks, two line-break assists, four tackle busts and two try assists. His delayed pass to Kiraz for one try who was tip-toeing down the side line was world-class.
5. Thomas Jenkins. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
The Panthers winger returned home to the foot of the mountains in 2025 after an unsuccessful stint at Newcastle last season where he struggled to cement a first-grade spot.
He started the season at fullback to cover for the injured Dylan Edwards, then shifted to the centres before returning to the wing with his performance against the Brisbane Broncos his best to date this season after grabbing two tries, making three line breaks and running for 181 metres.
6. Fletcher Sharpe. Club: Newcastle Knights. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
The Knights five-eighth is a local junior and considered one of the rising stars of the game and he certainly celebrated his 21s birthday in style against South Sydney Rabbitohs.
As well as his three line breaks, four tackle busts and 103 running metres, Sharpe scored a hat-trick of tries with his trademark speed and footwork too much for the Rabbitohs to handle.
7. Nathan Cleary. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 14. TOTW selections: 2.
The Panthers halfback has had a slow start to the season with many critics lining up to question whether the premiership bubble has burst at the foot of the mountains.
Cleary answered those questions in style against Brisbane after kicking for more than 600 metres, running for 100 metres, making two line breaks, setting up a try and scoring one himself that was a carbon copy of the one he scored against the Broncos in the 2023 Grand Final.
8. Jacob Saifiti. Club: Newcastle Knights. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 1
Back from three weeks on the side line with a calf injury, Saifiti was bullish up front with 18 runs for 210 metres – 81 of those post-contact.
He also busted out of three tackles and made 26 of his own, to mark his entry into our TOTW for the first time this year.
9. Connor Watson. Club: Sydney Roosters. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 3.
A ball of energy in every game Watson scored his third try of the season in the 36-26 win over the Dolphins as part of his 10 runs for 100 metres at No.9.
He made two dummy-half runs, busted out of two tackles and made 23 of his own, while making a positional kick downfield for 56 metres.
10. Terrell May. Club: Wests Tigers. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 7.
The 26 year-old again topped his side’s tackle count with 38 against the St George Illawarra Dragons in another top-shelf 74 minutes in the front row.
He made 47 post-contact metres among his 174 off 17 runs, five tackle breaks, three offloads, and 38 tackles.
11. Dylan Lucas. Club: Newcastle Knights. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
While the Knights had some stars in their outside backs in the 30-4 win over South Sydney, Lucas shone among the forwards with a line-break assist, a try assist, and 64 post-contact metres.
He also had a tackle bust, an offload, made 14 runs for 147 metres and topped the game-high tackle count of 43 with his teammate Leo Thompson.
12. Hudson Young. Club: Canberra Raiders. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 4.
This rugged 26 year-old earns a fourth TOTW nomination making as many runs (21) as his fullback Kaeo Weekes in the nail-biting 20-18 golden point win over Melbourne Storm.
Young had 54 post-contact metres in his 154 run metres, two tackle busts, two dummy-half runs, two offloads, made 28 tackles and put a kick in.
13. Cameron McInnes. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 1. TOTW selections: 3.
The Sharks kicked off Magic Round last Friday with a 28-18 win over Parramatta and McInnes kicked off his try-scoring for 2025 with his first when he ran onto a Nicho Hynes pass near the right upright.
He made 17 runs for 137 metres in total, had eight tackle busts, made 33 tackles and missed just one.
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