10 sleeps to go

For the last time my countdown to the 2013 year will feature a double digit number, once we move past here, we are down to only 9 more sleeps! Today we were hit with the shock news of Ben Barba being removed from the game indefinitely. There's a lot of rumours floating around, and a lot of people making comments without really having a clue what Barba has done, including some pretty big names in League throwing out some unverified comments. In today's social media driven world, it's far too easy for people to make a quick comment without thinking about the repercussions. Earlier today, social media was blowing up about Barba and apparently he was a wife beater and on it went. The guy clearly has some issues that he needs to sort out, but we aren't privy to what exactly those issues are, nor do we need to be. It sounds like his team is doing the right thing for Ben, and that should be all we need to know unless Barba wants to open up further about it. Hopefully whatever issues Barba is dealing with can be overcome and we as fans will be luckily enough to have him back entertaining us on the field sometime soon. At the end of the day, as much as we all love Rugby League, there are more important things in life, let's just remember that he's a 23 year old kid despite being on top of the Rugby League world in 2012. Now let's move on with the countdown...

#10 James Tamou

Despite not picking up the Dally M honours, in 2012 James Tamou for me cemented himself as the premier prop in the competition. While he still needs to pad his CV to match the likes of team mate Matt Scott, at just 24 Tamou has blossomed into the yard stick which all other props will be measured. He's a whopping unit at 195cm and 114kg and he has a motor that just doesn't stop. Put a couple of pairs of footy boots on a horse, strap a pair of hands to it, and you'd have James Tamou. 394 runs for 3808 metres, putting him second in the NRL in both categories despite missing time for Origin. 86 tackle busts, 35 offloads, Tamou is just an absolute force carrying the ball. Tamou found himself the centre of controversy in 2012 as the Palmerston North born, former New Zealand Maori representative was caught in a war over his eligibility between New Zealand, Australia and subsequently New South Wales. The allure of the Origin stage and it's financial benefits proved too much for Tamou and he subsequently pledged his allegiance to Australia, resulting in Tamou starting all three games in the #10 jersey for NSW and making his Australian test début off the bench against the Kiwis. It was Tamou who would have the last laugh as he was voted the Australian teams players player of the game in the test, rising to the occasion in a raucous Eden Park environment against a team clearly out to teach him a lesson.

 Where is Palmerston North? that's in New South Wales! Queensland's everywhere!

Beginning his NRL career back in 2009, Tamou had logged 78 games for the Cowboys at the age of just 23 after making his move from the Sydney Roosters Toyota Cup team in 2008. His 3808 spread over his 24 appearances on the season saw him average a gigantic 158 metres per game, more than any other prop in the competition and he's generally good for around 50-60 minutes on the field every week, a huge workload for such a big, damaging runner. His great size and strength allows him to free up his arms for an offload regularly, which proves very dangerous with the dynamite backs at the Cowboys. Tamou gives you go forward all night long, there's nobody better in the competition at putting your team on the front foot than Tamou. 

There's nowhere to hide from Aussie Jim

What is most often overlooked about Tamou is that the guy is actually really quick for someone his size, really agile to boot. Someone his size doesn't often have to go around a player, not when he can just turn them into a speed bump and run straight over them, but Tamou actually has a pretty useful step on him. If Tamou finds himself in the open field, which he often does thanks to the playmaking genius of Thurston and Bowen, then watch out. A 114kg tank who has pace and the step to turn defenders inside out is more than a handful. Defensively, Tamou is good for around 20-30 tackles a game and he doesn't miss many. On only three occasions did Tamou miss more than 2 tackles in a game and as you'd expect from a guy his size, when he tackles someone, they feel it. He doesn't deliver too many highlight reel huge hits, but when he hits someone, there's no leeway there, it's like running into a brick wall, once you hit Tamou, your run stops. 

Take a moment to look at how monstrous this guy is compared to the rest of the field

Tamou on the rampage with the big step

2012 was really the coming out party for Tamou, taking his game to the representative stage for everyone to see. From here, expect to see Tamou add to his career becoming a staple member of the NSW and Australian teams for years to come as well as continuing to help lead the charge on one of the most competitive outfits in the NRL. He's already ascended to the top of the propping ladder on the field, now it's a matter of forging a career of accomplishments to testify to his amazing on field efforts. 

Check back in tomorrow as we move on to number 9, so close to only a week away. Any criticisms or comments, throw me a Tweet @WellsNorthShore

God of nations at thy wait wait wait let me start over