WITH the season proper just over a month away, Courier Mail rugby league reporter Travis Meyn looks at the most influential players in the NRL.

SIGN UP TO SUPERCOACH NRL NOW!

These are the men who will decide which team claims grand final glory in 2018:

1. CAMERON SMITH (Melbourne Storm)

THE Storm, Maroons and Kangaroos skipper is coming off one of the most dominant seasons in NRL history. Smith was simply sensational in 2017, captaining Melbourne to a premiership, Queensland to another Origin series victory, winning his second Dally M Medal and leading the Kangaroos to World Cup glory. There is no more influential player in the game and he is doing it at the tender age of 34.

2. JOHNATHAN THURSTON (North Queensland Cowboys)

AT his peak, Thurston has been regarded as the greatest player the game has ever seen. The Cowboys co-captain is a four-time Dally M Medal winner and two-time NRL premiership champion. He played the final of his 37 State of Origin games for Queensland last year, kicking the fairytale sideline conversion to keep the series alive despite having a busted shoulder. There are few players who deliver in the big moments like Thurston regularly does and he will be itching to bounce back in 2018 — his likely final NRL season — after missing most of 2017 injured.

SUPERCOACH: Champ reveals his round one team

FUTURE: JT may play on past 2018

media_camera Johnathan Thurston will return from injury after missing most of 2017.

3. COOPER CRONK (Sydney Roosters)

THE Kangaroos and Maroons halfback has made the biggest transfer of the NRL off-season to continue his career at the Sydney Roosters. Cronk has carved a career as the ultimate professional, a player that triumphed because of hard work rather than natural talent. His 20 field goals for Melbourne delivered many victories during 14 seasons while he has been responsible for some of Queensland’s most memorable Origin moments. There are few calmer players in the NRL when the heat is on.

4. MICHAEL MORGAN (North Queensland Cowboys)

THE Cowboys dynamo would not have made the top 10 of this list a year ago, such has been his rise to become a genuine NRL star. Morgan started the 2017 season in terrible form and struggled to adapt to life without Johnathan Thurston when he was injured. But something clicked midway through the season and he went on to guide the Cowboys to the most unlikely of grand final appearances. Make no mistake, Morgan was the best player in the NRL throughout last year’s finals series and few could stop him. His challenge now is to continue that form with Thurston back in the mix.

SIGN UP TO SUPERCOACH NRL NOW!

STAR: Why Ponga chose Queensland

media_camera Michael Morgan was the best player of the 2017 finals series.

5. JASON TAUMALOLO (North Queensland Cowboys)

HAS there ever been a more destructive forward in the NRL? Taumalolo took the role of a middle forward to a new level when he shared the Dally M Medal honours with Cooper Cronk in 2016 and has not slowed down. He regularly runs for more than 200m in a game and has swung momentum in North Queensland’s favour many times. There is a reason the Cowboys signed him for a record 10 years and the scary thing is he is only 24.

6. DALY CHERRY-EVANS (Manly Sea Eagles)

ONE of the NRL’s most maligned players produced a fantastic season in 2017. Cherry-Evans bounced back to his best form, piloting Manly to a finals appearance. The NRL’s $10 million man will always carry the burden of pressure following his eight-year mega deal but he is now better equipped to deal with it. When Manly is winning it is usually on the back of Cherry-Evans’ brilliance and this season should be no different.

SIGN UP TO SUPERCOACH NRL NOW!

KEVVIE: We aren’t running out of Origin players

7. SAM BURGESS (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

THE big-hitting English forward is the barometer for South Sydney’s success. When Burgess is firing, so are the Bunnies. He has had a couple of quiet seasons of late but is primed to explode in 2018 following a solid finish to the World Cup. With Greg Inglis struggling to come back from a knee injury, if the Rabbitohs are successful this year then it will be because of Burgess’ brilliance in the middle.

media_camera For the Bunnies to fire, Sam Burgess must fire in 2018.

8. GARETH WIDDOP (St George-Illawarra Dragons)

THE Dragons playmaker finished third in last year’s Dally M Medal after playing a dominant role in St George-Illawarra’s solid season. The Dragons struggled midway through last season and a lot of that had to do with Widdop sitting on the sidelines injured. He played fullback at times for England during last year’s World Cup and has proven he is a world class player following a couple of tough seasons after leaving Melbourne. If the Dragons are winning then Widdop is usually playing a large part in that.

9. JAMES TEDESCO (Sydney Roosters)

THE NSW Origin fullback could be considered a contentious selection in this list but he polled top 10 in the Dally M Medal last year despite being in a bottom three team. Tedesco’s career has been littered with highs and lows but one thing is certain — he is a genuine matchwinner. The Tigers had little success when Tedesco wasn’t firing and he could be a revelation for the Roosters this year in a change of environment. You can’t substitute speed and Tedesco has the talent to take the Roosters a long way this season.

SIGN UP TO SUPERCOACH NRL NOW!

media_camera James Tedesco in action for the Blues.

10. DARIUS BOYD (Brisbane Broncos)

THE Broncos captain is the heart and soul of Brisbane at fullback. Boyd was in sensational form to start the 2017 season, playing a leading role in Brisbane’s fantastic first half of the year. He struggled with injuries at the back end of the year and the Broncos fell apart without him. There are few safer fullbacks in the game and Brisbane’s premiership hopes in 2018 will rest heavily on their skipper’s shoulders given the inconsistency of five-eighth Anthony Milford.

Originally published as Top 10 most influential players in NRL