It's here! The final part of my Top 60 Super League players of 2019. In the first three parts we have revealed the players coming in positions 60-6, and now in this fourth part, we will find out the top five, and who I believe to be the best player in Super League 2019.
If you have missed any of the three previous parts, you can catch up on them here: part one, part two and part three
With only five positions left up for grabs, remind yourself of who has been a part of the countdown so far...
If you have missed any of the three previous parts, you can catch up on them here: part one, part two and part three
With only five positions left up for grabs, remind yourself of who has been a part of the countdown so far...
Now then, it's time for the final five.
5) LIAM WATTS
Season Highlight:
A barnstorming display at Warrington as his Castleford side secured a place in the second round of the playoffs.
Liam Watts has been the best prop in Super League this season, and when you've got Luke Thompson, Alex Walmsley and David Fifita in the form of their lives, that's some accolade. The former Hull FC player has been magnificent for a Castleford side that has been up and down, but with one constant: the form of their talisman. Watts is a phenomenally powerful runner of the ball, averaging seven metres from his 462 carries, while also making 52 tackle busts, such is the strength of the player. His skill with the ball in hand should not be underestimated either, for he is Super League's top offloader for 2019, getting the ball away 62 times. Daryl Powell's main front rower finished in the top ten players in the league for metres, carries and tackles and has established himself as a top-class prop forward. It was this all-round consistent brilliance that saw him nominated for the Man of Steel, and should've guaranteed him a place on the GB tour, something he has bafflingly missed out on. He has been out of this world for Castleford this season.
Liam Watts has been the best prop in Super League this season, and when you've got Luke Thompson, Alex Walmsley and David Fifita in the form of their lives, that's some accolade. The former Hull FC player has been magnificent for a Castleford side that has been up and down, but with one constant: the form of their talisman. Watts is a phenomenally powerful runner of the ball, averaging seven metres from his 462 carries, while also making 52 tackle busts, such is the strength of the player. His skill with the ball in hand should not be underestimated either, for he is Super League's top offloader for 2019, getting the ball away 62 times. Daryl Powell's main front rower finished in the top ten players in the league for metres, carries and tackles and has established himself as a top-class prop forward. It was this all-round consistent brilliance that saw him nominated for the Man of Steel, and should've guaranteed him a place on the GB tour, something he has bafflingly missed out on. He has been out of this world for Castleford this season.
4) LACHLAN COOTE
Season Highlight:
Season Highlight:
Producing a wonderful hat-trick of assists as Saints battered Wigan to book their place in the Grand Final.
Upon signing from North Queensland Cowboys, Lachlan Coote was given the mountainous challenge of replacing 2018 Man of Steel Ben Barba as St Helens' full back. He has done so well that most Saints fans would argue that they are now a more balanced and well-rounded side with Coote there than with Barba, one of the greatest compliments that can possibly be paid to a Super League player. Coote's incredible quality with the ball and his intelligent vision has seen him make an unbelievable 22 assists in 2019, while getting 14 tries of his own - a monstrous return for a Super League debutant. His creativity and stunning eye for a pass has seen him control games on his own for St Helens, tearing defences apart with his delayed passes and ability to join the line. His kicking game, both in-play and from the tee, has been very good too, kicking five goals in the Grand Final to cap off a wondrous first year in England.
Upon signing from North Queensland Cowboys, Lachlan Coote was given the mountainous challenge of replacing 2018 Man of Steel Ben Barba as St Helens' full back. He has done so well that most Saints fans would argue that they are now a more balanced and well-rounded side with Coote there than with Barba, one of the greatest compliments that can possibly be paid to a Super League player. Coote's incredible quality with the ball and his intelligent vision has seen him make an unbelievable 22 assists in 2019, while getting 14 tries of his own - a monstrous return for a Super League debutant. His creativity and stunning eye for a pass has seen him control games on his own for St Helens, tearing defences apart with his delayed passes and ability to join the line. His kicking game, both in-play and from the tee, has been very good too, kicking five goals in the Grand Final to cap off a wondrous first year in England.
3) DARYL CLARK
Season Highlight:
Season Highlight:
A superb individual performance, featuring a great try and a lovely assist, as he dragged Warrington to victory over Catalans in June.
Daryl Clark was by far and away Warrington's best player in 2019, being an influential member of the team in the very strong first half of the season, but crucially not dropping his personal performance level one bit in the second half of the season when the team were struggling so much. What impresses me most about Clark is that no matter the opposition, the venue, the circumstances or the scoreline, you can guarantee that he is one of the best players on the pitch. The 2014 Man of Steel has had a majestic season, with his trademark darting runs regularly getting Wire out of trouble, whether that's to make metres up, or burrowing his way over the line as he does so well. Clark has averaged 9.53 metres per carry - right among the highest in Super League, a show of his strength and direct running ability. He has seven tries and 19 assists to his name, including some brilliant passes from dummy half, and some great scores of his own, such as his tries against Catalans and Leeds. He is tremendous in defence too, with 882 tackles to his name. At times this season Clark has carried Warrington on his own. Warrington haven't won a game without Clark this year, and have only won three without a Clark try or assist. Easily the most consistent player in the league, and one of the best too.
Daryl Clark was by far and away Warrington's best player in 2019, being an influential member of the team in the very strong first half of the season, but crucially not dropping his personal performance level one bit in the second half of the season when the team were struggling so much. What impresses me most about Clark is that no matter the opposition, the venue, the circumstances or the scoreline, you can guarantee that he is one of the best players on the pitch. The 2014 Man of Steel has had a majestic season, with his trademark darting runs regularly getting Wire out of trouble, whether that's to make metres up, or burrowing his way over the line as he does so well. Clark has averaged 9.53 metres per carry - right among the highest in Super League, a show of his strength and direct running ability. He has seven tries and 19 assists to his name, including some brilliant passes from dummy half, and some great scores of his own, such as his tries against Catalans and Leeds. He is tremendous in defence too, with 882 tackles to his name. At times this season Clark has carried Warrington on his own. Warrington haven't won a game without Clark this year, and have only won three without a Clark try or assist. Easily the most consistent player in the league, and one of the best too.
2) JACKSON HASTINGS
Season Highlight:
Season Highlight:
Winning Super League's Man of Steel for a faultless season which saw him take Salford to the Grand Final after finishing 3rd in the season.
2019's Man of Steel finishes 2nd in my countdown. The Salford man guided his side to an unbelievable season, culminating in the most unlikely of trips to Old Trafford. The orchestrator of Salford's journey, Hastings has laid on a crazy THIRTY SIX assists this season, as well as crossing the whitewash ten times himself. His vision has been next level at times this season, displayed by his creative stats. What doesn't get mentioned much about Hastings though is his work-rate. As well as his genius play, he is also a very hard-working player who is more than willing to get stuck into a tackle. In the Grand Final, the former Manly man was consistently the man to take the ball in on the third tackle, while he is a good defensive player too. His ability to take the line on - demonstrated with his try against Castleford in the playoffs, as well as his superb eye for a killer pass and deft kicking game have led to him being crowned Man of Steel. What a player Wigan are getting next year, and he's only 23.
2019's Man of Steel finishes 2nd in my countdown. The Salford man guided his side to an unbelievable season, culminating in the most unlikely of trips to Old Trafford. The orchestrator of Salford's journey, Hastings has laid on a crazy THIRTY SIX assists this season, as well as crossing the whitewash ten times himself. His vision has been next level at times this season, displayed by his creative stats. What doesn't get mentioned much about Hastings though is his work-rate. As well as his genius play, he is also a very hard-working player who is more than willing to get stuck into a tackle. In the Grand Final, the former Manly man was consistently the man to take the ball in on the third tackle, while he is a good defensive player too. His ability to take the line on - demonstrated with his try against Castleford in the playoffs, as well as his superb eye for a killer pass and deft kicking game have led to him being crowned Man of Steel. What a player Wigan are getting next year, and he's only 23.
And the winner is....
1) JONNY LOMAX
Season Highlight:
Season Highlight:
Finishing top of this countdown, of course!
In his testimonial year at St Helens, I saw Jonny Lomax to be the best player in Super League. With 17 tries and 22 assists he was one of the league's most productive players and was absolutely influential in Saints' domination at the top of the league. His world-class passing game has been Saints' sharpest weapon in their arsenal this year - so many times Lomax has found that pinpoint pass on the fifth play to get Saints a try. He's also been no stranger to taking on the line, with his skill and invention confusing defenders all year. I remember his try at the Halliwell Jones in August - finding a little gap in the line and exploiting it brilliantly to get his try after selling a dummy and making a line break. Then in Saints' other clash at Warrington he turned the game around on his own with a superb kick and chase, while he scored a lovely try in their home win over Wire in April. He was similarly effective in Saints' wins over Wigan in 2019 too, with a try and assist in the playoff semi-final win over them. Lomax makes rugby league look easy when he is on song, he nearly always finds the perfect pass and manages to create space for himself or a team mate. So many times he has organised Saints' attacks on the final play, and more often than not, he makes the right call. A player who has been underappreciated by the rugby league world, with no nomination for Man of Steel or a place in the Dream Team - both are frankly social injustices on a scale the like of which we've never seen before. Let's not forget that Lomax won every single game he played this year. What a stat. His exceptional delivery, delightful pass selection and accuracy, as well as his running game, skill with the ball in hand, creativity, vision and ability to score tries of his own make him the best player in the best team, and the best player in the league in 2019.
In his testimonial year at St Helens, I saw Jonny Lomax to be the best player in Super League. With 17 tries and 22 assists he was one of the league's most productive players and was absolutely influential in Saints' domination at the top of the league. His world-class passing game has been Saints' sharpest weapon in their arsenal this year - so many times Lomax has found that pinpoint pass on the fifth play to get Saints a try. He's also been no stranger to taking on the line, with his skill and invention confusing defenders all year. I remember his try at the Halliwell Jones in August - finding a little gap in the line and exploiting it brilliantly to get his try after selling a dummy and making a line break. Then in Saints' other clash at Warrington he turned the game around on his own with a superb kick and chase, while he scored a lovely try in their home win over Wire in April. He was similarly effective in Saints' wins over Wigan in 2019 too, with a try and assist in the playoff semi-final win over them. Lomax makes rugby league look easy when he is on song, he nearly always finds the perfect pass and manages to create space for himself or a team mate. So many times he has organised Saints' attacks on the final play, and more often than not, he makes the right call. A player who has been underappreciated by the rugby league world, with no nomination for Man of Steel or a place in the Dream Team - both are frankly social injustices on a scale the like of which we've never seen before. Let's not forget that Lomax won every single game he played this year. What a stat. His exceptional delivery, delightful pass selection and accuracy, as well as his running game, skill with the ball in hand, creativity, vision and ability to score tries of his own make him the best player in the best team, and the best player in the league in 2019.
The Top 60 by position:
Full Backs: 7 - Lachlan Coote, Zak Hardaker, Niall Evalds, Jordan Rankin, Sam Tomkins, Stefan Ratchford, Peter Mata'utia.
Wingers: 9 - Tommy Makinson, Ratu Naulago, Regan Grace, Ash Handley, Krisnan Inu, Rhys Williams, Ken Sio, Josh Charnley, Liam Marshall
Centres: 8 - Kevin Naiqama, Oliver Gildart, Bryson Goodwin, Konrad Hurrell, Jake Connor, Mark Percival, Harry Newman, Bill Tupou
Stand Offs: 7 - Jonny Lomax, Blake Austin, George Williams, Jake Trueman, Tui Lolohea, Tony Gigot, Albert Kelly
Scrum Halves: 2 - Jackson Hastings, Theo Fages
Props: 7 - Liam Watts, Luke Thompson, Alex Walmsley, David Fifita, Gil Dudson, Mike Cooper, Julian Bousquet
Hookers: 4 - Daryl Clark, Joey Lussick, James Roby, Danny Houghton
Second Rowers: 11 - Josh Jones, Liam Farrell, Zeb Taia, Josh Griffin, Dominique Peyroux, Alex Mellor, Kelepi Tanginoa, Kane Linnett, Willie Isa, Mike McMeeken, Weller Hauraki
Loose Forwards: 5 - Morgan Knowles, Morgan Smithies, Joe Philbin, Luke Yates, Trent Merrin
The Top 60 by club:
Castleford: 5 - Liam Watts, Jake Trueman, Jordan Rankin, Mike McMeeken, Peter Mata'utia
Catalans: 3 - Tony Gigot, Julian Bousquet, Sam Tomkins
Huddersfield: 1 - Alex Mellor
Hull FC: 5 - Ratu Naulago, Josh Griffin, Jake Connor, Albert Kelly, Danny Houghton
Hull KR: 2 - Kane Linnett, Weller Hauraki
Leeds: 4 - Konrad Hurrell, Ash Handley, Harry Newman, Trent Merrin
London: 2 - Luke Yates, Rhys Williams
St Helens: 13 - Jonny Lomax, Lachlan Coote, Luke Thompson, Tommy Makinson, Alex Walmsley, Kevin Naiqama, Morgan Knowles, James Roby, Zeb Taia, Regan Grace, Mark Percival, Dominique Peyroux, Theo Fages
Salford: 8 - Jackson Hastings, Niall Evalds, Joey Lussick, Josh Jones, Krisnan Inu, Gil Dudson, Tui Lolohea, Ken Sio
Wakefield: 3 - David Fifita, Kelepi Tanginoa, Bill Tupou
Warrington: 7 - Daryl Clark, Blake Austin, Joe Philbin, Bryson Goodwin, Mike Cooper, Josh Charnley, Stefan Ratchford
Wigan: 7 - Zak Hardaker, George Williams, Oliver Gildart, Liam Farrell, Morgan Smithies, Willie Isa, Liam Marshall
And there we have it. That brings to an end my countdown of the top 60 Super League players of 2019. I do hope you've enjoyed it. In a few days' time I will be ranking the Super League coaches of 2019, and that will be the final piece in my 2019 season review series.
Let me know your thoughts on the rankings in the comments or on Twitter - do you agree with my top five? Who do you think is too high or low in the 60?
Daniel (@aloosewire)
And there we have it. That brings to an end my countdown of the top 60 Super League players of 2019. I do hope you've enjoyed it. In a few days' time I will be ranking the Super League coaches of 2019, and that will be the final piece in my 2019 season review series.
Let me know your thoughts on the rankings in the comments or on Twitter - do you agree with my top five? Who do you think is too high or low in the 60?
Daniel (@aloosewire)
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