As preparations for the 2025 NRL season continue around the competition, each coach is hoping their spine will be the one to lead them to premiership glory.
Let’s see who boasts the best fullback, halves and hooker combination in the NRL.
17th – Souths
Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Lewis Dodd, Peter Mamouzelos
By the end of the season Souths might not deserve to be this low, but between Latrell’s mercurial performances and the unproven Dodd, it remains to be seen if Wayne Bennett’s spine can click and help get the club back into the top eight.
To the fullback’s credit, Mitchell has returned to pre-season training looking trim, clearly in better shape than he’s been in during most of his South Sydney tenure. If he can get back to his best, he’s one of the most potent players in the NRL.
There are certainly question marks over Dodd, who arrives from St Helens with 84 Super League matches under his belt. Recruited by a different coach, there’s not going to be much time for the 22-year-old to settle in and learn the NRL craft.
16th – Warriors
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Maire Martin, Freddy Lussick
Another side losing their primary playmaker at the end of last season is the Warriors, who might not replace Shaun Johnson’s quality for a long time. There’s depth in the 6 and 7 jerseys with Luke Metcalf and Tanah Boyd to complement Harris-Tavita and Martin but the Warriors are perhaps lacking some X-factor in the playmaking roles.
Nicoll-Klokstad and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are both quality options at the back with Taine Tuaupiki another option at coach Andrew Webster’s disposal, should injury or form issues arise throughout the season.
15th – Titans
Keano Kini, Kieran Foran, Carter Gordon, Sam Verrills
There’s not a shortage of options at the Titans – but it’ll be a matter of Des Hasler trying to get all the jigsaw pieces to fit as they look for a bounce back season after the disappointment of 2024. Foran may be be suited to a No.14 role, allowing him to make a bigger impact when he’s fresh coming off the bench, and making fewer tackles.
Other options for Hasler include Jayden Campbell, ex-Wallaby Carter Gordon and AJ Brimson, making the Gold Coast well equipped to deal with injuries in the spine. Gordon is a curious case, aiming to be a union-league convert success story.
If Hasler can find the right mix, the Titans could surprise pundits and make some noise.
Kyle Flanagan celebrates with teammates after scoring. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
14th – Dragons
Clint Gutherson, Lachlan Ilias, Kyle Flanagan, Damien Cook
St George Illawarra were always going to take a hit after losing Ben Hunt’s influence. Lachlan Ilias has been brought in by Shane Flanagan to fill Hunt’s boots and partner his son Kyle in the halves. Neither player has proven to be a consistent performer in the NRL, with both auditioning for a long-term spot as Daniel Atkinson arrives to don the Red V in 2026.
Gutherson is also new to the club but if he can form a combination quickly with the halves, Hunt might not be as badly missed when it comes to creating points.
13th – Raiders
Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange, Jamal Fogarty, Danny Levi/Tom Starling
Ricky Stuart’s Raiders are another side craving a top-eight return in 2025 – but do they have enough spine firepower to get the job done?
Weekes provides an attacking spark from the back, but Strange and Fogarty will need to produce enough points to keep the scoreline ticking over. There’s cover for the halves in Ethan Sanders, Chevy Stewart and Albert Hopoate, giving Canberra some decent depth.
12th – Knights
Kalyn Ponga, Phoenix Crossland, Jack Cogger, Jayden Brailey
Newcastle boast one of the best fullbacks in the league in Ponga but their halves options ensure they remain in the middle of the pack as far as spines go. Adam O’Brien tried multiple halves combinations before finally locking in the Crossland and Brailey duo to bring some stability.
Tyson Gamble and Jackson Hastings will provide cover for the playmaking duties, while Brailey is a dependable distributor.
The captain is clearly the main man here, though. If Ponga can live up to his monster contract, perhaps the Knights improve on their finals week one exit.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
11th – Dolphins
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Isaiya Katoa, Kodi Nikorima, Jeremy Marshall-King
New coach Kristian Woolf has inherited a very good spine from Wayne Bennett, one that almost led the Dolphins to their first finals appearance in 2024 before the wheels fell off late in the season.
Hammer is explosive from fullback, Marshall-King’s service is consistent and the halves should be more potent in 2025 as Katoa looks to take another step in his young career. If the 20-year-old can elevate himself into the class of playmakers sitting below Nathan Cleary, he should be able to take his side to the finals.
10th – Bulldogs
Connor Tracey, Matt Burton, Toby Sexton, Reed Mahoney
With Matt Burton needing help around him to turn Canterbury into a top-eight side, breakout seasons from Tracey and Sexton came at a perfect time in Cameron Ciraldo’s Belmore rebuild. Avoiding the sophomore slump will be the halfback and fullback’s next task but that shouldn’t be a major concern for Dogs fans in 2025.
Burton is a top player but perhaps still is not 100 per cent comfortable in the No.6 jersey. Mahoney, along with being one of the game’s premier pests, should just now be entering his prime at 26 and will be tasked with getting quality ball to his spine and captain Stephen Crichton.
9th – Sea Eagles
Tom Trbojevic, Luke Brooks, Daly Cherry-Evans, Lachlan Croker
If Manly are going to challenge for the top four and launch a serious premiership tilt, they are going to need more from the spine. There’s no doubting Tommy Turbo’s effort level or skill, but he simply needs to stay on the park long enough for the Sea Eagles to bank enough wins. If he can stay injury-free, Anthony Sebiold’s side will be around the top four.
Daly Cherry-Evans had a good enough season in 2024, but that campaign ended unceremoniously after being well and truly outclassed by the Roosters, who were then destroyed by Melbourne. Does the veteran have enough petrol in the tank to raise his level, in what could be his final year at Brookvale Oval?
Luke Brooks benefitted from leaving the Concord pressure cooker and for the first time in his career could defer the ‘main man’ tag to Cherry-Evans. If he can replicate that form, he’ll be a handy contributor for Anthony Seibold’s side.
8th – Roosters
James Tedesco, Sandon Smith, Chad Townsend/Sam Walker, Connor Watson
Despite Tedesco’s excellent season after the disappointment of losing his Origin jersey, the Roosters never really had the aura of genuine contenders and were blown off the park in the preliminary final – and that was with Luke Keary, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Joey Manu in the team.
The 2025 season is a rebuilding year in Bondi with expectations tempered. Brandon Smith won’t be at the club past the upcoming season and is unlikely to suit up due to his knee surgery, and may depart even sooner. Walker will miss the first few months, with Sandon Smith to partner stopgap signing Chad Townsend in the meantime.
Tedesco will keep the Chooks from a bottom four finish but if the captain misses many games, it could all come crashing down pretty quickly.
Sam Walker is carried off the ground. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
7th – Sharks
Will Kennedy, Braydon Trindall, Nicho Hynes, Blayke Brailey
Craig Fitzgibbon’s side took another step last season, making it to week three of the finals for the first time since 2018. Unfortunately for Cronulla fans, the week one loss to Melbourne, which they could have won, reopened old wounds – specifically that Hynes can’t get the job done once the pressure ramps up.
The Sharks’ playmakers aimed up against North Queensland, but again failed to match their Panthers counterparts in the grand final qualifier.
This quartet will no doubt have the Sharks in around the top four. The question is, can they produce better results in the finals?
6th – Wests Tigers
Jahream Bula, Lachie Galvin, Jarome Luai, Apisai Koroisau
There are four quality players in the Tigers spine but Luai is responsible for the quartet instantly shooting up so many places. Bringing the 28-year-old over to Concord is a huge coup for Benji Marshall and the whole club.
Luai impressed in 2024 with Nathan Cleary missing games but that was in a well-drilled Penrith machine, under one of the best coaches in the modern game – he’ll have neither to lean on in Tigertown. He’s got the big contract and been made co-captain, now it’s time for Luai to deliver for his new club.
Galvin will only improve in 2025, giving fans and pundits a better idea of what his ceiling might be. Koroisau should thrive with a bit less responsibility and the injection of Laui’s playmaking ability.
5th – Eels
Isaiah Iongi, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses, Brendan Hands
After a tumultuous off-season, Jason Ryles will be happy that 75 per cent of the spine he inherited from Brad Arthur is still intact – for now, at least. We’ll assume Brown is staying in western Sydney.
Brown and Moses form arguably the best halves combination in the NRL, balancing game management with top-shelf playmaking and the ability to run the ball to keep defences guessing.
The hyped Iongi is yet to prove himself at the NRL level but there could be something special about him.
4th – Cowboys
Scott Drinkwater, Tom Dearden, Jake Clifford, Reece Robson
There’s plenty of strike within the spine of Todd Payten’s side. At this point in his career it’s unlikely Drinkwater improves much defensively but he is a very dangerous attacker. Robson earned rep honours in 2024, becoming one of the best rakes in the NRL.
After Chad Townsend’s move to the Roosters, there’s not much depth in the halves so an injury to Clifford or Dearden could spell trouble, but if healthy that’s a strong halves duo.
Reece Walsh. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
3rd – Broncos
Reece Walsh, Ben Hunt/Ezra Mam, Adam Reynolds, Billy Walters
When Ezra Mam gets back from his drug-driving suspension, there’s a very formidable spine at new Broncos coach Michael Maguire’s disposal. In the meantime, new recruit Ben Hunt will partner Reynolds in the halves, which is not a bad combination either and he could end up at hooker when Mam returns.
Walsh, having penned a monster four-year extension up to 2029 at Red Hill, is a brilliant player and unstoppable when on top form. The challenge will be sustaining that level on a consistent basis.
2nd – Panthers
Dylan Edwards, Blaze Talagi, Nathan Cleary, Mitch Kenny
The four-peat-winning Panthers were pretty much neck and neck with Melbourne, but the loss of marquee five-eighth Luai leaves the Storm clearly ahead for 2025.
Not a lot needs to be said about Edwards, Cleary and Kenny, who form the nucleus of the post-Luai era along with Isaah Yeo. The wrench in the works is Cleary’s new partner in the halves, Blaze Talagi. That combination will take more than a few pre-season hit-outs to gel properly.
But there’s still an abundance of talent here, with arguably the best player in the game pulling the strings.
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1st – Storm
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant
As mentioned, no other side can touch this spine when Papenhuyzen is fit and firing (which is, of course, not always the case). Munster and Hughes is an elite combination and Grant was the best hooker in the game, officially, in 2024.
What’s interesting is the long-term future of Papenhuyzen and Hughes, with Sua Fa’alogo and Jonah Pezet breathing down their necks. It’s good business by Melbourne but could it cause some instability?
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