The Greatest Ever Individual Season in the NRL

By Kieran Gibson – Writer & Podcaster

Rugby League, steeped in tradition as it is, has sparked many a debate across its time; from who the greatest team ever is, who is the greatest player ever, or what is the greatest individual season by a player ever. The latter being revisited numerous times this year thanks to Tom Trbojevic.

So, let’s take it back and rewind to 2009 as a 21-year old Jarryd Hayne announced himself as one of the greatest players on the planet. Whilst Hayne began his career on the wing, his 2009 campaign started off at five-eighth, then reverting to his favoured fullback position in Round 8. However, it was his electrifying form and performances from rounds 19 to 25, and his finals series that really caught the eye with enthralling and imaginative play. During those seven games from Rounds 19 to 25, Hayne would win six man of the match awards in a row. Then in Round 25 tallying one Dally M point, to take him to an unassailable lead in the Dally M rankings, with Thurston in second. At the time many Rugby League fans wondered if we would ever see the likes of such consistently brilliant form, in a three month or more period, again. So, since then the debate has raged, was this the single greatest season ever by a player?

Fast forward to the 2021 season and there are now three other prime and most talked about candidates for the title. Ben Barba of 2012, Johnathan Thurston of 2015, and, of course, Tom Trbojevic of 2021. Each hold their merits, and so in laying out this discussion, the age and number of seasons each player had played before each of their respective, prodigious seasons was examined.

In 2009 Phil Gould described Jarryd Hayne as “one of the absolute superstars in world football” and later as the “best player in the NRL” at the time. No one could argue, not even the ever-competitive Johnathan Thurston, second placed in the Dally M’s to Hayne that season. Hayne just 21 years of age playing in just his fourth NRL season lit up the competition in his first season, and each season thereafter, but he even exceeded his own lofty expectations throughout his 2009 run. Barba also at the ripe age of just 23 in 2012 playing his fifth NRL season, took the Bulldogs into their first Grand Final since 2004. Johnathan Thurston had been around a while by the time he produced his absolute best. All of his hard work and determination culminating in the perfect storm in 2015 as he became arguably the greatest player in the game, just as his Cowboys premiership dream was nearing its end. It was his fourteenth season at the age of 32, as his talent, expertise, and mental grit willed the Cowboys to their maiden Premiership.

Then, there was Tom. Playing in his seventh season at the age of 24, Tom Trbojevic undoubtedly has the superior statistics to any player on this list, absolutely demolishing teams week in, week out. Highlighted on Dally M night as his points tally exceeded any expectations anyone could have had of him before Round 6 got underway. It’s entirely possible another injury this time in the pre-season, supercharged his form this season, and gave fans no matter their team something to enjoy.

Stats Breakdown

Firstly, it’s worth noting that the six again rule has drastically changed the speed of the game, increasing fatigue and maximizing the opportunity for attacking players to put points on the board since its inception in 2020. In 2019 Moses had the most try assists with 25, the year before Thurston with 23, with Sivo breaking the line 23 times in 2019, Holmes 26 times in 2018. In 2021, Walker, Turbo, and DCE have all finished with more try assists than the top counterpart from previous years, with four players breaking the line more often this year than Holmes in 2018.

Turbo this season has been that impressive he nearly scored two tries or broke the line twice for every game played with 28 tries and 33 line-breaks. Compare that to Barba’s 22 tries and 24 line-breaks, Hayne’s 14 tries and 34 line-breaks or Thurston’s 4 tries (although tries and line-breaks are not Thurston’s most important metric) and there’s clear daylight in less appearances, except for line-breaks compared to Hayne’s. Whilst the Sea Eagles did score 814 points during the sped-up game through the six again rule, Turbo creates so many of his side’s points from nothing. The Cowboys comparatively scored 613 in 2015, the Bulldogs 620 in 2012, and the Eels 566 in 2009. When looking at the percentage of a teams tries scored by each player this is most interesting as Hayne scored 14% of the Eels tries, Turbo 19.7% and Barba 22% of his teams tries, showing just how dominant each were during their hot form, accounting for almost one try for every five or six their team scored.  Although not directly comparable, Thurston scored 34% of the Cowboys points in 2015, with three of those points field goal match winners showing the influence he had on the Cowboys throughout the season.

Turbo showed his selflessness, and ability to play make in abundance too, yielding 27 try assists, and 35 line-break assists. This was Thurston’s forte as chief playmaker as he recorded 33 try assists and 33 line-break assists, Hayne 19 try assists and 11 line-break assists, and Barba 22 line-break assists. Each showing not only individual flair, but the ability to bring others into the game, and utilize the strengths of teammates to score more points for their side.

Such was the carnage Turbo wreaked on the competition he ran for 221 meters per game, and broke 105 tackles through the season at 7 tackle breaks per game. Compare that to Barba’s 145m per game and 159 tackle breaks per game at 5.9 tackle breaks per game, and Hayne’s 175m per game and 178 tackle breaks at 6.8 tackle breaks per game, and as a halfback Thurston’s 95m per game stacks up to the others with his halfback opponent Ben Hunt averaging 63 meters per game in 2015, some 32 meters less than Thurston.

Personal Profiles

Hayne, already three accomplished seasons into his career despite debuting at the age of just 18, would continue his sublime, early career form. This catapulted himself into the frame for the best rugby league player in the National Rugby League competition with an (at the time) unprecedented run of form. In Round 18 the Eels sat in 14^th place with five wins from sixteen matches, enter Jarryd Hayne. Starting with beating their eventual Grand Final opponents the Storm, the Eels would go on a seven-game winning streak in which Hayne would produce six man of the match performances in a row. Hayne then claiming another Dally M point in the seventh match to land him the Dally M outright, as it was revealed on Dally M night he was clear by four votes going into the last round of the season. Against the Tigers in Round 24 Hayne dominated from start finish, with a chip and chase try from 50m out the crescendo in a fascinating game, sparking a famous call from Ray Warren of “Superstar! Superhuman! Call him what you like! The speed of a bullet”; the man was untouched.

Not only did this run of form win Hayne the Dally M, but it also gave the Eels a shot at the title finishing eighth. Hayne’s sheer brilliance, and somehow, ever improving form continued into the finals, where no side wanted to come up against the eighth placed finishers, not even the first placed Dragons. Hayne once more exemplified the phenomenal talent he possessed, dancing past seven defenders to seal the game in the first week of the finals. Hayne ended the season with off the chart statistics that were garnered largely over an eleven week period (including finals) at the end of the season. Hayne had to keep producing each week, with each match do or die, which saw him score 14 tries, and assisting 19, to go with 34 line-breaks, 11 line-break assists, 178 tackle breaks and 175m on average gained per game. Hayne’s incredible season saw his team end up as runner up coming from 8th position.

Barba came on to the scene as a highly touted youngster in 2008, but really came exploded on the Rugby League scene in 2011 with 23 tries, despite the Bulldogs finishing ninth that season. The next season would prove to be even better as he took the Bulldogs from a ninth placed finish to the minor premiership, eventual runners up in the Grand Final, and also taking out the Dally M, Dally M Fullback, Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year award, and the Provan-Summons Medal.

The cream of the crop and Peter Frilingos moment came as Barba collected a Storm kick nearly on the dead ball line in-goal, then stepping past Matt Duffie and Jeremy Smith to prevent a repeat set for the Storm. But he wasn’t done yet as he further evaded two former greats in Cronk and Smith, to then place a perfect in field kick for Josh Morris to score. It led Gus to say of him “If Benny Barba put his hand down a toilet, he’d pull out a golden watch” such was the frequency of his dazzling performances, it seemed inevitable that everything he touched would turn to gold. If he wasn’t scoring length of the field tries, he was setting them up, or coming up with try saving tackles. That season the Bulldogs scored 19 tries from inside their own half, and a further 28 tries from 20-50m out, with Barba heavily involved in most of them.

Thurston by now had already enjoyed an illustrious career, but going into his 14^th season in 2015 one crowning glory alluded the heralded king of the north, a premiership with his beloved Cowboys. The Cowboys got off to a rocky start losing their initial three games, and then on a Monday night stood down the barrel of four straight losses after the Storm led 16-10 with five minutes to go. Thurston then went to a level not many have been able to reach, proceeding to hit a sideline conversion followed by two field goals in a win that foreshadowed the rest of the Cowboys season, as they epitomised an impenetrable resolve not before seen in Townsville.

Thurston was always in the thick of it and had a steely determined look on his face, which led to Andy Raymond’s outcry in a 2015 game against the Raiders ”He (Thurston) is so far ahead of everyone else, he’s lonely” as he willed his team to come along with him all season. Ending the season with four tries, 33 try assists, 24 forced dropouts, 33 line-break assists, 95 run meters per game and 6 field goal, whilst he also controversially won the Clive Churchill medal in a first Cowboys Grand Final win, kicking the game winning field goal. However, it was his preliminary final performance against the Storm in Melbourne that really stood out. Ending the game with 4 line-break assists, and 3 try assists all of which were in the first half, to go with 111 running meters as he stood up to the likes of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Munster.

Injured for the first five games of 2021 Turbo apologized to Manly fans for his absence when injured in the pre-season, but boy did he make up for it when he came back. The Sea Eagles were 1-4 to start the season, and then Turbo exploded producing what many consider the most extraordinary run of form the NRL has ever seen. Over the course of the rest of the NRL season Tommy T and the Sea Eagles won 16 of their last 20 games of the regular season to finish fourth.

Along the way Turbo was electric, stunning crowds and galvanizing league fans marvelling at his athleticism and skill. In Turbo’s comeback game across 72 pulsating minutes he ran for 189 meters with 2 line-breaks, 2 line-break assists, 2 try assists, a try, and 4 tackle breaks. Helping to catapult an ever-improving Manly side into a premiership threat, it led to Manly great Max Krilich saying he believes Tom Trbojevic has the potential to be the greatest Manly player ever, better than Bob Fulton. Turbo produced 28 tries, 28 try assists, 33 line-breaks, 36 line-break assists, 124 tackle breaks and 209 running meters per game from just 18 appearances throughout the season.

Verdict

So what does this all mean? Statistically speaking Tom Trbojevic is lightyears ahead. However, he did not do it under the same pressure as Hayne in 2009 who couldn’t afford to let his side lose a single game during his hot form, Or Thurston of 2015 whose spirited performances instilled a new belief within his team that concluded with a first ever Cowboys premiership. Where Ben along with Hayne and Thurston led his team to a Grand Final appearance, Trbojevic may just be a victim of his team falling just short of rugby leagues holy grail, however, he did do it all coming back from numerous injuries throughout his career.

So, whilst Turbo now boasts the greatest individual regular season that I have personally ever witnessed, it does not in my opinion go down as the greatest season ever. That’s not to say I don’t think he can’t have the greatest season ever, as he turns just 25 years old in the coming days, he has plenty of time left to ignite something even more special than what he produced this season.

Whose season was the best? I’ll leave one for the readers to decide.

Highlights

Jarryd Hayne’s big moments that stood out most:

• His all-star performance against the Tigers in Round 24 against the Marshall led Tigers. Finished the game with two 40/20’s, two try assists, and the match winning, chip and chase try that confirmed the man did as he pleased, well and truly in his pomp.
• Tormenting of the Warriors in Round 23 that included 4 line-breaks and a chip and chase try assist.
• Hayne’s outrageous effort against the minor premiers the Dragons in week 1 of the finals where he danced past seven would be defenders with mesmerising footwork.

Ben Barba’s big moments that stood out most:

• The length of the field try he set up for Josh Morris from his own in goal against the Titans in Round 5.
• His try saver on Luke Bailey against the Titans in Round 5.
• The length of the field try he scored from his own in goal against the Eels.
• The length of the field try he set up, once again for Josh Morris, from his own in goal against the Storm in Round 16.

Johnathan Thurston’s big moments that stood out most:

• Against the Storm in Round 4 he finished with 2 line-break assists, 1 try assist but most impressively Thurston nailed a 78^th minute sideline conversion on his bad side to put the Cowboys within a point of the Storm. Then potting a field goal in the 79^th minute to take it to extra time where he won the game with another field goal
• In round 13 the Cowboys were down 30-6 with 24 minutes to go against the Eels. Enter JT, finished with 2 try assists but his handprints were all over the spirited Cowboys comeback as he also nailed six from six with the boot.
• Against the Sharks in Week 2 of the finals Thurston finished with 3 line-break assists and 2 try assists against the Sharks to book a prelim with the Storm.
• In the Preliminary final against the Storm JT notched up 4 line-break assists and 3 try assists to play a leading role in the Cowboys beating the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne. This booking a fourth clash with the Brisbane Broncos that season in the big dance.

Tom Trbojevic’s big moments that stood out most:

• In Round 6 vs the Titans, Turbo’s comeback game ended with a try, 189 running meters, 2 line-breaks, 2 line-break assists, 2 try assists and 4 tackle breaks in 72 minutes.
• Round 9 vs the Warriors Tom ran for 235 meters, with 2 tries, 5 line-breaks, 3 line-break assists, 4 try assists, 8 tackle breaks. Absolutely phenomenal!
• Round 22 against the Eels ran for 187 meters, 2 line-breaks, 5 line-break assists, 4 try assists, 5 tackle breaks again earning him an early mark with 73 minutes played.
• Against the Sharks in Round 20, Tom Trbojevic had arguably his best game of the season toying with the Sharks defence. Ended the game with 227 running meters, 3 tries, 3 line-breaks, 4 line-break assists, 3 try assists, 15 tackle breaks, 4 offloads in 67 breath-taking minutes.
• His final most memorable performance for mine came against the Cowboys in Round 25 where he ran for 302 meters with 3 tries, 6 line-breaks, 1 line-break assist, 2 try assists, 19 tackle breaks and 1 forced dropout.

Kieran Gibson is a Writer and Podcaster for The Pioneer Australia. You can listen to him on Above The Horizontal wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.