Another season brings with it a whole new batch of recruits. But who will be the best of the best in 2019? NRL.com's experts have made their best guess.
Margie McDonald (NRL.com senior reporter)
Nick Cotric had the most tackle-breaks in the NRL last year (149) and ranked second in line breaks (20). True, he only scored 12 tries to rank second at the Raiders behind Joey Leilua (14), but I feel several of last year's top try-scorers will struggle to match their 2018 numbers. Blake Ferguson is at a new club, Matt Dufty is no longer the Dragons fullback and Valentine Holmes is in a new sport!
Jamie Soward (Former Blues five-eighth)
Brett Morris. There's plenty of life in the old dog yet and he'll benefit from playing on the end of a super-talented Roosters backline.
Dan Walsh (NRL.com reporter)
Josh Addo-Carr. Quickest man in the game and gets faster, not to mention better, with every season he plays. Already boasts 47 tries from 61 appearances and will go into 2019 with an Origin series win and another grand final to his name. Pass the popcorn.
All of Josh Addo-Carr's tries of 2018
Steve Renouf (Maroons legend)
The top try-scorer will be James Roberts. I think what Anthony Seibold is going to bring to the club will unleash him. I don't think in the past they have given him enough opportunities. He's had to get the ball himself, but we saw the way Seibold changed Souths' attack and that will only benefit Brisbane and Jimmy Roberts. Give him a good ball in space and he is so hard to put down, and I think you will see him put in more holes than he has been in the recent past.
Alicia Newton (NRL.com reporter)
If he's back on the wing permanently then Alex Johnston is a fair chance to finish on top, or at least in the top five. South Sydney dominated on the left edge in 2018 and with Robert Jennings' future up in the air and Greg Inglis's pending move to fullback, Johnston could find himself back on the edge where he's scored 59 tries from 64 games on the wing.
Brad Walter (NRL.com senior reporter)
Brett Morris. The former Test winger has always had a knack for scoring tries and at the Roosters he will be playing outside Cooper Cronk and Latrell Mitchell as the replacement for Blake Ferguson, who finished fifth on the NRL tryscoriing ladder last season.
Chris Kennedy (NRL.com reporter)
It's most likely to be a winger from one of the better attacking sides, there are plenty of candidates at this time of year so I'll take the dartboard approach and tip… Corey Oates, just because he has one of the best put-downs in the sport and has four straight seasons of scoring 14-plus tries.
Michael Chammas (NRL.com chief reporter)
Josh Addo-Carr. With Cameron Munster potentially moving to fullback you can expect Melbourne's wingers to reap the benefits of him sweeping around the back in wider positions.
Mary Konstantopoulos (Ladies Who League)
Last year, Anthony Seibold was able to re-energise and revolutionise the South Sydney attack and I have a feeling he will do the same at Brisbane, and a beneficiary of that change will be Corey Oates. Corey scored 18 tries last year, which placed him equal third on the leaderboard behind David Fusitu'a and Valentine Holmes. With Fusitu'a no longer having Shaun Johnson to play outside, Holmes departing for the NFL and Oates playing outside a fit Anthony Milford, I expect to see him at the top of the leaderboard this year.
All of Corey Oates' tries from 2018
Lone Scout (NRL Fantasy expert)
I'm going to go with Latrell Mitchell. He crossed 17 times in his breakout season last year but he (and the Roosters) stepped up a gear or two late in the season, when Mitchell scored a ridiculous 11 tries in his final nine games. The Tricolours have the most talented backline in the comp and Latrell can cash in even more in 2019.
Brett Keeble (NRL.com reporter)
After deciding against following Wayne Bennett to the Rabbitohs, powerhouse left winger Corey Oates should revel in Anthony Seibold's up-tempo attacking system and score a glut of tries for the Broncos in 2019.
Joel Gould (NRL.com reporter)
Corey Oates was the Broncos' leading try scorer last year but this season he will go one better and top the list for the NRL. The Broncos left side will be more settled this year with Jack Bird to get an extended run at left centre outside Anthony Milford. Oates is big and strong enough to create tries from nothing but this season he will have more opportunities than in the past.
Paul Suttor (NRL.com editor)
It's no surprise Josh Addo-Carr is the favourite to win this award but the other very quick winger in the Melbourne line-up is also a try-scoring phenomenon. Suliasi Vunivalu is primed to not only beat out his teammate but all the other attacking dynamos in the NRL to score the most tries in 2019.
Katie Brown (NRL.com reporter)
Corey Oates came home strong last season with 18 tries to his name, and my money is on the Broncos winger to be the 2019 Ken Irvine Medal winner.
Hayley Byrnes (NRL.com reporter)
David Fusitua'a was the league's top try-scorer last year and there's no reason why the Warriors winger can't do it again in 2019. The absence of Shaun Johnson means the Warriors will need to get the most out of their wide men in attack, and they don't get any better than Fusitu'a.
All David Fusitu'a's 2018 tries
Tony Webeck (NRL.com reporter)
No one converts half-chances into four-pointers quite like Josh Addo-Carr… except perhaps his teammate on the opposite wing. Not only will Addo-Carr win the internal battle against Suliasi Vunivalu at the Storm, I think he'll top everyone in the NRL in 2019.
Zac Bailey (NRL.com reporter)
Jamayne Isaako. The 2018 Dally M rookie of the year had an incredible debut season and has all the potential in the world to back it up. He bagged 11 tries last year, hopefully we see him double that tally in 2019.
Jonathan Healy (NRL.com reporter)
Josh Addo-Carr was the leading try-scorer in 2017 and only three players crossed the line more than the 23-year-old last year. The scary thing for opposition defenders is that Addo-Carr is still getting better, so don't be surprised to see the flying machine top the list of try scorers this campaign.
Kenny Scott (NRL.com podcaster)
I'm calling Corey Thompson as 2019's top try scorer. Michael Maguire likes to play a physically aggressive brand of football, with big fast forwards creating space for support players. While the Tigers forward pack doesn't have the same clout as Maguire's old Bunnies side, I believe he will still stick to this style of play. This should see the fast and nimble Thompson offered plenty of scoring opportunities running off the forwards - as Alex Johnston did in Maguire's peak years at Souths in 2014 and 2015.
Tanisha Stanton (NRL.com reporter)
Josh Addo-Carr is no stranger to scoring tries, collecting 18 meat pies and ranking third for most tries scored in 2018. The 23-year-old was also crowned the fastest man in the NRL according to the Telstra Tracker, clocking 37.1km/h when the Storm beat the Titans in a double-header at at Suncorp Stadium. This year Addo-Carr shouldn't have any problems crossing the white line if Melbourne are able to shift the ball wide early, giving him time and space to show off his lightning speed.
