13 sleeps to go

After a highly entertaining Charity Shield to once again give us a tease that NRL is just around the corner, we now have just 13 more sleeps until March 7th, and just one more sleep until the World Club Challenge, Warriors vs Broncos and Foundation Cup tomorrow night. The Rabbitohs certainly looked the part in their Charity Shield outing, Luke, Reynolds, Sutton, Inglis leading the charge as you would expect. They appear ready to pick up where they left off the 2013 year, amongst the top teams in the competition. The Dragons really let themselves down by coughing up the pill far too often, you simply aren't going to take down a team with the size and skill of the Bunnies by making simple errors like that. Now let's move on to number 13 in the countdown with another of the reformed bad boys of Rugby League...

#13 Nate Myles

The 27 year old Myles has been one of the best forwards in the competition for a long time now, but 2012 saw Myles put together what would be his most impressive yet, culminating in being named the 2012 Wally Lewis Medal winner, Dally M Representative Player of the Year and the Dally M Second Rower of the Year. He's certainly came a long way from the young bloke who was done for drink driving back in 2006 and suspended 6 games by the NRL after a drunken tirade in 2010 which involved defecating in a hotel lobby and being found naked on the fire escape. Much like his Titans team mate Greg Bird, he appears to have put his alcohol issues behind him and he is now really maximizing his potential on the field, leading to him being named a co captain at the Titans after just one season at the club.

You won't like me when I'm drunk

At 187cm and 105kg, Myles is built like a brick you know what, he's a very solid  human being. Again like Bird, he's very old school in his approach to the game. Capable of playing in the front row, second row, or lock as required, Myles isn't one of the new breed of flashier, ball playing second rowers. Myles game is based around the fundamentals of what a big tough forward is meant to do. He carries the ball and he carries if often with 339 carries in 2012, and he racks up tackles with 781. He can produce the occasional offload, but he's by no means prolific, he isn't the type of guy to make linebreaks or bust tackles or offer much in the playmaking department. He keeps it simple, he's a big strong guy, and he puts that to use by imposing himself physically around the field by running at guys and tackling guys all night. It takes strength, it takes toughness, it takes an enjoyment of smashing bodies around, and Myles has all of these traits.

Myles and Bird are enough to drive the most sane player up the wall

While Myles doesn't have the flash or flare, he brings another element to his game to support his strong ball running and tackling, and once again it's something he shares in common with Greg Bird. Myles is one of the most niggly characters around. As I've confessed in the past, I'm not saying this is a bad thing, there's room in Rugby League for this sort of behaviour to be effective, there's referees on the field to punish Myles as they see fit but admittedly he is very crafty at walking the line. It's all part of the old school approach that Myles brings, he keeps it basic, he keeps it rough, he keeps it nasty. He knows every trick in the book in the tackle and in the ruck, and it's not just simple things like slowing up the play the ball or slipping the ball out, Myles tricks are often more sinister in nature, about how he can inflict pain on his opponents while they are vulnerable. But testament to Myles, he dishes it out, but he doesn't go into hiding if someone comes knocking for him, while so many may refer to him as a "grub" today, I suspect there's many old timers about who idolized blokes who played like this back in their day.

Nate Myles 101: Head-butts and other antics

2012 may have been the year that Myles play was finally recognized formally through medals and awards, but he has been part of the outstanding Queensland Origin team since 2006. During that time, Myles has logged a whopping 20 Origins, meaning Myles has played in all 3 games for Queensland every year but one since his first selection, that being 2009 where he only made 2 appearances. While he's only been selected 3 times for Australia, making his début in 2010, it says a lot about Myles that he can be one of the players who has earned his way into a Queensland outfit that is widely regarded as the greatest Origin team of all time, and lay claim to a position, refusing to budge despite some very talented challengers to his spot. At 27, Myles, health permitting, should still have a few years of Origin left in him, and with 20 games already Myles is on track to wind up his career with one of the more impressive Origin careers to have been put together. He certainly doesn't appear to be showing any signs of slowing down, considering he was selected as Queensland's best player throughout the 2012 campaign. Myles is the third Titans forward I have named in the countdown, and Queensland Origin regular Ashley Harrison was certainly pushing for a spot also. Surrounded by such talent, 2013 stands to be a big year for Myles after the heights he reached last season. He's tasted so much success in the Maroon jersey, but he's never won a Premiership. With the responsibility of being a co captain, no doubt a lot of pressure will be on Myles broad shoulders to rectify that and translate some of his Queensland success to a struggling Gold Coast outfit. As part of possibly the best forward pack in the NRL, Myles stats may take a blow, but the follow up act to 2012 should be a blinder.

Roman's imprisonment cleared the way for Nate to make a move on Nicole

Check back in tomorrow for number 12 in the countdown. I hope everyone enjoyed the Charity Shield, I sure did, even without shoulder charges! and looking forward to three games to sink my teeth into tomorrow. Any comments, suggestions, complaints, or general chin wag, you can reach me on Twitter @WellsNorthShore

14 sleeps to go

Exactly on the two week mark we come to number 14 in the countdown with a guy who will certainly prove no trouble to find highlight videos of . So as I'll be sure to put in quite a few videos of this guy for everyone's enjoyment I'll make the intro short and snappy and get straight into it.

#14 Jarryd Hayne

 Prepare for take-off 

No doubt somebody is rolling their eyes thinking "eugh Hayne, really?", yes, really. The man known as the "Hayne Plane", "Hayne Train", "Hayne Machine", "Haynesy", "Jazzer", and no doubt countless other things certainly has his fair share of critics. Like him or not however, Hayne back in 2009 was the clear cut best player in the world. As good as Barba was in 2012, his brilliance for mine still wasn't enough to eclipse what Hayne produced in 09, and I'd struggle to think of anyone who produced a season of such magnitude. Hayne's list of awards is a long one, 2006 Dally M Rookie of the Year, 2007 Brad Fittler Medal, 2007 Dally M Winger of the Year, 2008 Brad Fittler Medal, 2009 Dally M Fullback of the Year, 2009 Dally M player of the Year, 2009 RLIF Fullback of the Year, 2009 RLIF Player of the year, 2009 RLW Player of the Year, 2010 Peter Frilingos Memorial Award. Hayne truly was on top of the Rugby League world, but his amazing level of play was never going to be sustainable, and in recent years injuries have clipped Hayne's wings. While he's still played at a high level, he's been clearly hampered, a couple of yards slower than he once was, and an inconsistent squad surrounding him has been of little help. Regardless, I'm not yet ready to write Hayne off, and still see him amongst the upper echelon of players in the league. 

Hayne's 2009 was basically a season long highlight reel

At just 25, Hayne has already forged a very impressive career. 140 games for the Eels with 75 tries, 4 games for Fiji, 6 for Australia, 5 for NSW City, and a whopping 16 Origins for NSW. He's a big, powerful guy for a fullback at 189cm and 100kg, it often takes you by surprise just how strong he is because he moves so lightly on his feet, but when he decides he'd rather barrel into a defender head on instead of prance his way around them, he often sends the would be tackler stumbling back, and he's quite capable of throwing out a big hit if he is in the mood. Hayne may well be the most skilled player in the competition, he's certainly in the conversation. He's got all the tricks, the steps, the flashy passes, the no look passes, the skip out passes, the chips, all of the "park footy" repertoire. 

Looking where you pass is cheating

Then he's got an absolutely booming boot on him. He can really bang the ball a long way. While he plays most of his time wearing the number 1, he is capable of slipping into the five-eight role, and indeed many argue he would be best served staying there. The way Hayne plays fullback in the Eels attack seems him regularly move in at first receiver, he often floats about the backline on attack, waiting for when he decides he should inject himself, then moves in to first receiver for a play and the show begins. Then he returns behind the attacking line, waiting again for when he sees fit to insert himself into the action again. While he does this very well and is very dangerous, keeping in the 1 allows for his gamebreaking kick return abilities to be unleashed also. While he's slowed down a few paces, it's still very exciting to see Hayne bring the ball back, he's always a threat to break a tackle or four, the type of guy who can really produce something out of nothing. 

Shut the gate

I've mentioned a couple of times now about Hayne not being as fast as he once was, and it's true, but he's still amongst the quickest men in the competition, If he breaks the line, you likely aren't going to catch him. He's an attacking wizard, if you made yourself on Rugby League Live, his skill set is what we'd all like to imagine we have. While a lot of fans like to take shots at Hayne, I find that he also has a bit of mongrel in him  when he's pushed which I think is great. Hayne realizes that first and foremost, his job is to be an elite attacking player, not get caught up in the niggly stuff, but he's not afraid to get amongst a bit of biff if the need arises, and if you get him ticked off then don't be surprised if the Hayne Train comes in to try run you over. Most of the time however, he'll do his best talking by utilizing the vast array of skills he has at his disposal.

Step, bump off, step, turbo, gone

I for one hope that 2013 brings with it a healthy Jarryd Hayne set to return to form. The NRL is a better competition with the Hayne Plane in full flight. He is one of the true superstars of our game and he makes for fantastic viewing. From a talent perspective Hayne has all the potential to be number 1 in these rankings come next year if his body allows it. The Eels have anointed Hayne one of the co captains of the team for 2013, a testament to the developing maturity of the young superstar. Hayne's Eels proved very underwhelming in 2012, and a lot is going to fall on Hayne's shoulders if that is to change in 2013, but he certainly is one of the players in the competition with the ability to put a team on his back and lead them to the 8.

Hopefully we see a bit more of this in Origin also

Check back in tomorrow as we move on to number 13, any criticism, any comments, throw me a tweet @WellsNorthShore

15 sleeps to go

We've reached the halfway point of the 30 day count down now, and at the end of this post we will have crossed over that halfway barrier. After this post, there will be only 14 sleeps remaining, only two more weeks! and with the televised games this weekend,  it's just going to keep flying by. Moving on to number 15 in the countdown, it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate guys at this stage, and there's just so many players that I think wow, I can't believe I missed him out, but such is the wealth of talent that the NRL is blessed with. I would love to hear anyone you think I may have missed out, but remember if someone comes in, then someone has to go out, so I'd also love to hear who you think didn't quite deserve to make the cut too.

#15 Daly Cherry-Evans

At just 23, the Manly halfback has seen a meteoric rise in a very short span of time. Some may argue that I'm jumping the gun putting DCE up so high in the rankings, but this guy in his first season won the Dally M Rookie of the Year, RLIF Halfback of the Year, and guided his team to an NRL Grand Final victory, scoring a try in the final. As he enters what will be just his third year, despite already having 54 NRL games under his belt, what halfbacks can you say you would take over him? no surprises, I'll take Cronk over him, and Cronk will of course be revealed later in the countdown and Thurston would be an automatic selection, but he's playing at five-eighth now. For me, this is the best number 7 in the business behind Cronk and that's saying a lot. Even though he's only been around 2 seasons, the only reason DCE isn't already playing Origin for Queensland is the aforementioned Cronk and Thurston, if he was from NSW I have no doubt he would have been playing for the Blues in 2012. Cherry-Evans isn't going anywhere any time soon, but as Cronk waited in the wings for Lockyer and Thurston, so too will DCE wait behind Thurston and Cronk. While the representative honours will have to wait, don't let that fool you, he's Origin class, he's world class.

Yes I posted this on the Brett Stewart entry, but it's worth posting again

It really is fantastic how well rounded DCE's game is at just 23 and after only two seasons. He plays with the poise and control of a guy who has been in the competition 10 years, I'm sure beginning your career by winning a Premiership goes a long way to help a young blokes confidence. He has a huge boot that he's very precise with, and he uses it often, with the 5th most kicks in play during the 2012 year. While he's most adept at kicking off his profound right foot, he's also shown there's plenty of talent in the left one as well should be forced to use it. While he may not be quite as ferocious as his halves partner Kieran Foran, he's also not shy about making tackles, he doesn't go hiding in the backline and he notched up over 20 tackles 18 times over 28 rounds, never dropping below 12. Given DCE's outstanding attacking nous, he'd be one of the games better players without this commitment to defense, and while he misses a few, he's pretty reliable as far as halfbacks go. 

This whole NRL thing seems pretty easy

At 180cm and 84kg, DCE is one slippery character and he breaks an awful lot of tackles for a halfback. He's very elusive and very agile and he has that uncanny ability to almost squirm his way out of tackles, he's the type of player who one moment looks like he's been wrapped up with an elementary tackle, but then he's slipped out and he's away. To add to that he's also deceptively strong and packs a very useful fend especially when he's got a bit of steam up, you'll often see him take a gap or make a break, followed quickly by a would be tackler getting a firm hand to the chest dispatching them away. Speaking of steam, Daly has plenty of toe on him. If he makes a break, often you may as well just shut the gate because he'll be gone. As I said earlier, he plays like he's been around the track for years, and this shines through in his passing game. His passing is very controlled, very accurate, in fact he's very accurate in almost everything he does. But while I say controlled, that doesn't mean he's tentative, it means that he makes the right passes. He's really just the ideal pivot to navigate your team up and down the field. A great kicker, a great playmaker, a great individual threat, he's got it all.

Basically that entire last paragraph in one short video

Embarking on what will be his 3rd year, many players would be looking to break out, to take that next step into the star category. DCE has been a star since his very first year, he's played like a guy in the prime of his career from his rookie year. There's not that much more for this guy to do to his game but just keep on keeping on. Expect Cherry-Evans and Manly to once again be premiership contenders, and expect DCE to again be nipping at the heels of Cronk and JT for a Maroon jersey, if either of them go down then he'll be getting the call up. 2013 will be another year of DCE solidifying himself amongst the games most elite players, right where he belongs. 

"The Phenom" seems an accurate title for this video

Check back in tomorrow as we reach the two week mark of just 14 sleeps to go. As always, I'm around on Twitter @WellsNorthShore if you have any comments.

16 sleeps to go

Today marks 16 more sleeps until NRL 2013 and I'm a little taken back at how quickly it is going by. I started writing these out of boredom, fun and primarily to help me count down until the season begins, after finishing this number 16, that will have been 15 of these articles I have written, 15 nights checked off the calendar, the halfway point! so let's get on with number 16 in the countdown

#16 Matthew Scott

2012 was just another year for the 27 year old Cowboys front rower, and I mean that in only the most complimentary fashion. Backing up from his 2011 Dally M and RLIF Prop of the Year awards, Scott once again displayed the leadership and consistency that has seen him become widely regarded as the top prop in the game. At 185 cm and 106kg, the Cowboys co captain has been the model of consistency and reliability for some years now. Entering his 10th season, Scott has ascended to the level where he is often taken for granted, he puts in a workhorse effort week in week out, you always know what you are going to get from him, leading from the front. He's reached the top of the mountain and now as he embarks on his prime years, he stands to be the alpha prop in the competition for several years to come. The Cowboys had a fantastic 2012 season, and most of the attention is given to the electrifying back line with the likes of Thurston, Bowen, Graham, Linnett, Tate, but the scintillating form of those backs was made possible from the likes of Scott powering one hell of an engine room.

While the spotlight shines on Thurston, Scott carries a lot of the load

While over the next few years I believe some props may rise above Scott in terms of performance, even if only temporarily, what makes Scott deserving of being ranked so highly is his status as the spearhead of not only the Cowboys forward pack, but the Queensland and Australian forward packs also. He's the alpha prop in Rugby League now. While some young pups may come along who can put out a better showing, Scott is now the guy that has been there, done that, especially with the retirement of Civoniceva. While other props may have surpassed Petro later in his career, he still maintained the status of being the old hand in the front row, now that torch has to be passed on and to me Scott is the guy that is picking it up. Entering 2013, Scott has logged 141 games for the Cowboys, 8 tests for Australia, and 11 Origins for Queensland, he's been starting at prop in the last 9 straight Origins. There may be a couple of guys further down my list who I would suggest had better 2012 seasons than Scott, but his overall package of leadership, experience, proven track record at the highest levels, separate Scott from the pack. There may be no more reliable player in the NRL than this guy. 

No matter the stage, the performances remain the same

2012 didn't see Scott dominate the competitions statistical categories. You won't find around the top of the metres or hit up lists, but as always he was putting in the heavy work. The scouting report on Matt Scott is really pretty simple. Think of everything you want in your prop, you want a big motor, you want legs that don't stop pumping, you want courage, you want a guy who leads from the front, everything you want from a prop, Matt Scott has it. There's nothing fancy about him, he can make a nice offload, but what defines Matt Scott  is just simply being a fantastic, genuine prop. a big strong bloke with a tireless work ethic. I almost feel like I'm not doing him justice, that I'm making it sound easy, but if it was that easy, a whole lot of us would be doing it. Think about some of the big units floating around the NRL, putting big shots on the ball carrier, Scott is the guy who runs at these big opposing forwards over and over again. The grand stage of Origin, big hits galore, and Scott is the guy who is leading from the front, ball in hand, running into those big shots time and time again. It all starts up front, and it really says it all that the Queensland Origin team have turned to Scott to lead the way in their last 9 games. His performance in 2011 Origin I remains one of the most impressive front row performances in recent times, eclipsed perhaps only by the herculean effort from Paul Gallen in the following contest.

This is really more of a JT video, but Scott videos were lacking and this one never bores me

Check back in tomorrow for 15, can't believe that we've almost hit the two weeks to go mark! as always if you have any feedback, positive and negative, but preferably constructive, then give me a tweet on @WellsNorthShore 

17 sleeps to go

On forth we march into the second to last week until the 2013 NRL season is under way. Fortunately this week features four televised games with the Charity Shield, World Club Challenge, Broncos vs Warriors trial game and the Foundation Cup, that's almost as much as we get in a regular NRL week! and after we enjoy the smorgasbord of offerings this weekend, there will only be one more week of horror to deal with! so with 17 sleeps to go, let's move on to number 17 in the countdown with one of the competitions more infamous blokes

#17 Greg Bird

Whether you love him, hate him, or love to hate him, everybody has an opinion on this character. At 28, Bird is heading into his 11th season, and 12th professional season overall as he played 2009 in the UK Super League. Throughout that time he's been a menace both on and off the field. Off the field he's been far from a poster child, despite posing in the 2007-2008 Naked Rugby League calendar. He was accused of sending "inappropriate" text messages to Lara Bingle, appeared in court charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on his girlfriend by smashing her face with a glass. He eventually faced 5 charges including common assault against a female unrelated to the "glassing" case. In the end, Bird was found guilty of 1 count of recklessly wounding his girlfriend and 1 count of making a false accusation to police. But Bird appealed the charges and was acquitted of the charges after evidence from both he and his girlfriend. Since then, Bird has managed to keep his nose fairly clean off the paddock, but on the paddock he's always getting into something, much to the chagrin of his opponents...

Watmough would surely know a good grub if he saw one

But in no way am I saying that's a bad thing, despite his "grub" reputation. Whether people like it or not, Bird's carry on can be a successful tactic in the NRL, and Bird's put together a very successful career with 164 NRL games, 4 games for Australia, 3 for the Indigenous All Stars, 3  for NSW Country and 11 for NSW. Bird is the type of guy who will get under the opponents skin and take them off their game, but he's a tough bugger as well and he's not afraid to mix it up. While he walks a fine line at times, he's another one of the blokes that Gould is talking about when he's going on his tangents of what an "Origin" player is. Bird is at his absolute best in the Origin arena, and although he's more often than not coming out on the losing end, as has every NSW player in recent years, he's put together a couple of Man of the Match performances and always seems to elevate his game when he buts on the blue jersey. He thrives in the physical, niggly, aggressive Origin atmosphere, it brings out the best in him, he's taken some huge hits over the years but bounces right back up ready for more, this is what he was born to do. He's an old school player, right down to the sleazy moustache, he would have fit right in during the 70s or 80s, where a clothesline was just a good tackle.

Simmer down gents, it's just a game right?

There's more to Bird's game however than just running about stirring the pot, and you don't get the rep honours he's earned without the skill to go with it. Bird is one of the most versatile players around, while he's most at home in the backrow or at lock he can fill in at five-eighth in a pinch, which is a testament to the footy skills he has that he can slot into such a pivotal position on the field. He doesn't have many stand out elite skills, but he does everything well, and brings the aggression and enthusiasm to support those skills. Bird always seems to bring whatever the game requires, not only is he versatile in his skill set, but he's very versatile in his approach to the game, he adapts to the way the game is flowing and injects himself however is needed. When the situation dictates, he's more than capable of putting up big tackle numbers, he's also capable of logging huge metres on attack also, but he isn't the time to consistently bring those huge numbers week in week out. When you need him however, he'll deliver for you. It's that sort of adaptability, and his aggressive, physical approach to the game, that also makes him a fantastic leader, leading to him being a co captain of the Gold Coast Titans this season. 

Come at me bro

Like him or not, it's hard to not admit that he demands you respect his ability on the field. I think it says a lot about the man that after his troubles off the field in his earlier years, to the point where his visa to the UK was rejected when he tried to make a move to the Bradford Bulls, that he's managed to now leave those things in the past and become the type of player that has deemed worthy of being a captain at his club. In what are now likely to be the prime years of his career, what is now left for Bird is to take on the captaincy role and lead his team to the promised land. Despite a very respectable career, Bird has experienced very little team success. Courageous efforts for an outmatched NSW outfit have garnered nothing, and he's only been to the playoffs in 2002 and 2010, both times winning 1 game before being eliminated. As part of what is arguably the best, on paper, forward pack in the 2013 competition, Bird will be no doubt be desperate to finally start adding a feather or two to his cap in the form of Origin series wins and NRL Premierships. But win or lose, one thing you can be sure of is that Bird will give you all that he's got, and his opponents are going to hate playing against him.

He's also got one hell of a sweet tooth

Check back in tomorrow for number 16, as always if you have any comments or criticisms, give me a message on @WellsNorthShore 

18 sleeps to go

Wrapping up one of the scarce few NRL free weekends we have left, we move on to 18 sleeps remaining and number 18 in my countdown of the NRL's 30 best players, with yet another Englishman

#18 James Graham

Some may feel that I'm jumping the gun a bit here by thrusting Graham so far up the rankings after just one year in the NRL, but his impact more than justified it. Funnily enough, his play to me warranted a higher ranking than his Doggies prop team mate and Dally M Prop of the year Sam Kasiano. Although Graham came off the bench in all but 2 games for the Dogs in 2012 behind starting props Kasiano and Tolman, Graham would check in relatively early, often for Kasiano around 10-15 minutes, and then happily see out the rest of the game if necessary. Although he's a fresh face to the NRL, Graham has been around the track and back many times, at 27 he made the voyage to Australia after serving English club side St Helens for 9 seasons and 220 games, regularly appearing in Super League Grand Finals and racking up Challenge Cups. He's also played 21 internationals for England and Great Britain since 2006, and captained England in 2008. Graham sought to test himself in the worlds greatest Rugby League competition, and made an immediate impact with 16 runs 115 metres and 48 tackles in 67 minutes on début  Any questions of Graham were quickly put to rest and by the end of the year he was being discussed as one of the elite props in the competition.

Traditional English pleasantries 

The 2008 Man of Steel and 2008 RLIF International Prop of the Year winner packs a good punch at 188cm and 106kg. The most impressive thing about him is his work rate, he goes through an absolutely monstrous amount of work for a guy playing the prop position. Pay no attention to the fact that he wasn't one of the "starters", that was a tactical decision from the Bulldogs rather than any reflection on his ability. Graham would make his way onto the field much earlier than most reserve props generally first check in, and then basically would not budge. The Dogs could roll him out around the 15 minute mark, and then just leave him on for the rest of the game. Come the 80 minute whistle, Graham usually looks like he'd happily run around for another couple of hours if you gave him the opportunity and while he's out there, he's putting in work. He was 7th in the NRL in runs with 373 and 18th in metres with 3021, he's also a tackling machine as reflected in the huge tackle count in only his first NRL game. As seems to be a requirement of all forwards at the Bulldogs, he's also got a nice passing game. He has a good ability to put guys through a gap, and there's always plenty of blokes running on to the ball for the Dogs. 

Graham's offering of tea and biscuits went down swimmingly

As exemplified in the video above, what separates Graham from being just a really good, hard working footy player, into one of the top tier props in the game is his aggressiveness. He seems like a pretty good bloke off the field, but once he steps over the white line, he is ferocious. He embraces the physical nature of the sport, he loves running into people and hurting them, he loves people running at him and hurting them, the more physical the game gets, the better Graham becomes. He shies away from nothing, and although he gets riled up, he isn't inclined to give away silly penalties, instead he'll just run at you harder, or he'll put a little extra into the next shot he puts on you. It's this mentality that makes Graham such a great package, he's got the skills, he's got the stamina, and he's got a real killer instinct. He certainly approached the game like he had something to prove to the NRL, and he delivered. You might even say he's a real mongrel...

Unfortunately Graham took the whole "Bulldogs" thing a little too far

Heading into 2013, the Bulldogs figure to once again be amongst the top of the table and vying for a premiership, but Graham's uncontrollable hunger in the Grand Final will see him missing 12 games. While this is obviously a massive blow for Graham's 2013 season, expect him to be extremely anxious when he is finally let off the collar and back onto the park. With a season of NRL footy under his belt, and the pent up frustration of sitting on the sidelines for nearly half the season, Graham seems primed to explode in the second half of the 2013 year. Caging Graham up for 12 games may in the long run prove beneficial for the Dogs, they certainly have the troops to cover for his absence, and then a fresh, hungry (though hopefully not too hungry) Graham will enter the fray.

Oooooooh, Duff luck

Check back in tomorrow as we move on to number 17 and what kind of positive spin I can put on that number. Any comments or criticisms, get at me on Twitter @WellsNorthShore 

19 sleeps to go

Finally we've broken through into the teens now, and over a third of the way through the countdown. With the World Club Challenge not being on until Saturday morning for those of us in Australia and New Zealand, that means after today there's only one more Saturday left without footy on our TV, everything is going swimmingly! so let's move on to number 19 on my list of the thirty top players in the NRL...

#19 Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor copped a fair bit of criticism around the 2012 Origin period and found himself out of the team come game 3 of the series and I'm sure a few people will disagree with me having him here. This year he joins a Titans team to create an absolutely loaded back row situation, joining Origin regulars Ashley Harrison, Greg Bird, Nate Myles and supplemented by the likes of Mark Minichiello, Luke Douglas, Luke Bailey. Much is being made of the Sharks forward pack this season and with good reason, but this Titans group may well be in the mix for the strongest forward pack in the competition. For all of the detractors that were chiming in about Dave and his place in the Queensland team, let's take a look at what he did for the Bunnies in 2012...

• 19th in the NRL in line breaks with 14
• 15th in the NRL in runs with 335
• 14th in the NRL in metres with 3104 (giving him an average of 9.2 metres per carry)
• 17th in the NRL in tackle busts with 85
• 6th in the NRL in offloads with 41

and Dave isn't exactly the type of bloke to log huge minutes to pad his stats, what he does is make impact, and those are impact stats. Metres, line breaks, offloads, tackle busts, that's how the big man stamps his print on the game.

While that appears to be a young child, it's actually a full grown woman

At only 24, Taylor is preparing to enter what will be his 8th year in the NRL, yet another one of these young players who feel like they have been around forever, but that's because in this instance, Taylor really has been around a long time already. But even when the man known as Coal Train first appeared in the NRL, he didn't look the least bit out of place, that's because he's an absolute mountain of a human being. In a competition full of plenty of big blokes, Taylor still stands out as one of the true big boys, standing at 185 and a hulking 123kg. But he's not just big, he's strong as an ox, which is why he's putting up the type of stats I presented earlier, the metres, the tackle busts, the strength to free up his arms for the offload, that's his calling card. I'd wage there's very few in the competition who could take on Big Dave in an arm wrestle, he's one of the few in the competition who makes a habit of manhandling opponents, tossing legit professional athletes around like he got lost and wound up at schoolboys game.

Big Dave says no

As if his imposing figure and tremendous strength wasn't worrying enough for opponents, the most freakish thing about Dave Taylor is that he's one of the biggest men in the competition, yet is loaded with skill. Sure, he can just run straight at your defense all game, and he'll break through it too or sap the life out of your defense trying, but trapped inside the frame of the big man is a guy who fancies himself as halfback or five-eight material. For his size, his ball skills are fantastic, Dave could get by as a rampaging front rower who just lugs the ball up, but he's so much more than that. He's got the offload, but he's also just a really good passer in general, the defense can't just simply brace themselves for the bus that is about to run them over because Dave may well be part of a play designed to exploit just that. Now there's several good ball playing backrowers in the comp, though at quite the size of Taylor is a rarity, but to cap it off he's got some skill in his feet as well. He's surprisingly agile for a man his size, though he isn't stepping around like he's Matty Bowen, he moves pretty well, about as graceful as a 123 kilos is ever going to move and he's got a bit of a kicking game. He's not going to chew off big raking kicks for you, but he isn't shy about putting a grubber in, and he's good at it too. If you wanted to make an overpowered player on Rugby League Live 2, Taylor would serve as a pretty good prototype.

How would you approach this situation?

For Taylor now it's all about finding consistency, maintaining his fitness, maintaining his health. 2012 saw him earn his first international cap with Australia, and was the third year in a row he was part of Queensland's Origin campaign, seeing him now up to 6 Origins. Earlier in his career there was questions about his work ethic and his weight, but he seems to have put those to rest. Of course he's still a heavy bloke, but he always will be, you could feed him lettuce sandwich's and water and that wouldn't change. In recent times he's looked in very good shape and seems to be fully committed to his training. So from here it's just about cutting down the errors to fully capitalize on his potential, remembering again that he's only 24, so he's still a young bloke who can work out the kinks. If he can do that, the world will be at his feet. 

If there was ever a bloke who looked like he'd chop a good tree

Check back in tomorrow for number 18, hopefully everyone enjoyed the first week of Super Rugby, right? if you have any comments or criticisms direct them to me at @WellsNorthShore