25 in 25: Best lock of NRL era

The 25th season of the NRL done and dusted so to commemorate the first quarter-century of this instalment of the premiership, The Roar is looking back at the 25 best players and moments in 25 categories.

We have already gone through the best fullbacks, players to never make Origin, coaches and Grand Final moments of the era.

Now it’s time to look at those who wore jersey No.13 in the 13-player code. It is a tricky position to judge as the role has evolved greatly over the past couple of decades and several star locks, alternated between second row and prop while some of them were also centres or five-eighths. 

Among the players listed are several who also stood out in other positions but for the most part, were their most dominant when lining up at lock.

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In each of these articles recapping the elite performers and standout moments, we have separated the 25 into the top 10 (the best of the best), the next 10 who simply couldn’t miss the cut and the final five who just beat out a bunch of other worthy contenders.

The best of the best – the top 10

1 Jason Taumalolo
2 Paul Gallen
3 Sam Burgess
4 Tonie Carroll
5 Ben Kennedy
6 Corey Parker 
7 Glenn Stewart
8 Jake Trbojevic 
9 Jason Smith
10 Greg Bird

You could make an argument for any of the top five players being the best on their day but Taumalolo’s efforts over the past decade at the Cowboys, Tonga and New Zealand give him the edge. The 2016 Dally M Medal co-winner, his power play redefined the lock position to a skilful extra front-rower, a trend that other teams adopted. 

Gallen had many critics but was a relentless performer in 348 NRL matches for Cronulla as well as at Origin and Test level, with his crowning moment his mission to lead the Sharks to their historic 2016 Grand Final win.

Burgess, if he had played his entire career at lock and didn’t miss a season playing rugby, could have topped this list. It wouldn’t pass muster nowadays in the HIA era but his effort to play on after fracturing his cheekbone in the opening minute of the 2014 Grand Final and then claim the Clive Churchill Medal in the Rabbitohs’ drought-breaking win was a mammoth performance.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Carroll was such a damaging runner with his tank-like frame and crucial defender for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia, and was unlucky not to receive the Clive Churchill Medal in the ‘98 Grand Final win over Canterbury. Not a pretty performer but highly effective.

Kennedy switched between second row and lock at Canberra, Newcastle and Manly but was elite in both positions (he will also be high up in the second row rankings when they’re published down the track). Skilful in attack and punishing in defence, he’d be an even more valuable commodity in today’s game as a link between the pack and the backs, like Panthers star Isaah Yeo.

Parker, in the first few years of his time at the Broncos, looked like he’d be a good but not great prop but a switch to lock reinvigorated his career and he was a mainstay at club, Origin and Test level while also having the added bonus of being a reliable goal-kicker.

Stewart is arguably the most natural footballer on this list, nicknamed “Gift” to boot, and was a throwback ball-playing lock at a time when clubs favoured bigger bodies. His performance in the 2011 Grand Final to win the Clive Churchill Medal is part of Sea Eagles folklore. 

Glenn Stewart.(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Trbojevic has carried on from Stewart as Manly’s long-term lock, emerging from his fleet-footed brother Tom’s shadow, to be an integral part of their finals campaigns in recent years as well as successful NSW and Australian sides.

Smith fits into the mercurial, ultra talented category who bounced around a few clubs throughout his career but improved every side which had him on the teamsheet. 

Bird was in the Gallen mould of ultra aggressive with a bit more skill due to his junior days as a representative five-eighth. A big-game player he won a couple of man of the match awards for NSW at a time when Queensland held sway at Origin level.

The best of the rest – elite performers

11 Josh McGuire 
12 Isaah Yeo
13 Cameron Murray
14 Jim Dymock
15 Shaun Timmins
16 Luke Ricketson
17 Dale Finucane
18 Simon Mannering 
19 Dallas Johnson
20 Ashley Harrison 

McGuire, like Bird, is someone who earned a lot of enemies for his roughhouse style but despite crossing the line on a few too many occasions, was a valuable part of Queensland’s era of Origin dominance.

Yeo and Murray will rise up these rankings as they are both mid career and taking Taumalolo’s mantle as the top lock in the game. They have been part of the latest evolution of the lock role and Yeo edges Murray on this list by virtue of the fact he now has two premiership rings.

Isaah Yeo (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Dymock was a maestro at the Bulldogs and Eels in the 1990s – as tough as they come but able to put teammates through a gap with regularity. Unfortunately he played his last NRL game too young at the age of 28, spending the final four years of his career in the Super League.

Timmins started in the centres, filled in at five-eighth, spent some time in the second row but was at his best for the Dragons, Blues and Australia at lock, and would have spent more time at all three levels if not for knee surgeries sidelining him for a year and a half in the prime of his career. 

The next five on this list are your prototypical hard workers that every side needs. Ricketson, Finucane, Mannering, Johnson and Harrison fall into the category of being the no-nonsense teammate who does the one-percenters that don’t get the headlines but boost chances of victory.

The final five

21 Jason Croker
22 Victor Radley 
23 Trent Waterhouse
24 Dene Halatau
25 Shaun Fensom

Croker helped hold the Raiders together as the last survivor from their 1994 final premiership side when the other stars started retiring and was a mainstay in the back row after starting out on the wing.

Radley is still early in his career but has two premierships under his belt and if he can avoid judiciary dramas, could end up a Roosters club legend. 

Waterhouse hit the heights early in his career as part of Penrith’s 2003 premiership charge but also excelled for NSW and Australia. 

Halatau played 249 matches at NRL level, as well as 15 times for the Kiwis, and was a crucial cog in the Wests Tigers defying the odds to win the 2005 premiership.

Fensom is not the biggest name and mainly due to the fact he was out of sight a bit at Canberra for the majority of his career, did not get many accolades but his defensive workload was astronomical – he set an NRL record with 75 tackles in a game in 2011 while also making 16 hit-ups.

Just missed the cut

Patrick Carrigan is only really starting out at Brisbane but he proved with his Wally Lewis Medal-winning debut Origin series with Queensland that he can dominate over the next decade.

Bradley Clyde was the best lock of the 1990s but when the NRL era started, he only played another half a season there with the Raiders before becoming a second-rower in his final two years at Canterbury. 

Bradley Clyde in action for the Raiders in 1998. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Isaac Liu is an under-rated member of the Roosters’ recent premiership success as an extra prop who filled a No.13 role. 

Glenn Morrison, Feleti Mateo and Reni Maitua were enigmatic performers who had their fair share of top-quality moments, mainly at club level. 

Daniel Wagon, David Stagg, Alan Tongue and Travis Norton were solid contributors for their teams over many years and would not have looked out of place inside the top 25.