David Middleton's 2024 NRL Team of the Year

To celebrate the release of the 2024 Official Rugby League Annual, historian David Middleton has picked his 2024 NRL team of the year.

Order your copy of the 2024 Official Rugby League Annual here.

2024 TEAM OF THE YEAR

Fullback                           1. JAMES TEDESCO (Sydney Roosters)

Wingers                            2. BRIAN TO’O (Penrith)

                                          5. ZAC LOMAX (St George Illawarra)

Centres                            3. STEPHEN CRICHTON (Canterbury)

                                          4. HERBIE FARNWORTH (Dolphins)

Five-eighth                      6. JAROME LUAI (Penrith)

Halfback                          7. JAHROME HUGHES (Melbourne)

Props:                               8. JAMES FISHER-HARRIS (Penrith)

                                        10. LINDSAY COLLINS (Sydney Roosters)

Hooker:                            9. HARRY GRANT (Melbourne)

Second-rowers              11. ANGUS CRICHTON (Sydney Roosters)

                                         12. ELIESA KATOA (Melbourne)

Lock                                 13. ISAAH YEO (Penrith)

Choosing a captain for our 2024 Team of the Year might be the most difficult task for selectors after most of the positions in the line-up were clear cut.

The composite team, based on performances across the season for club, state and country includes three current Test captains and four club leaders.

Isaah Yeo (Australia), James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand) and Jarome Luai (Samoa) captained international teams, while Yeo (Penrith), James Tedesco (Sydney Roosters), Stephen Crichton (Canterbury) and Harry Grant (Melbourne) excelled as club leaders.

But despite the calibre of these captains, in view of achievement across the season, even this choice becomes clear cut. Yeo, who led the Panthers to a fourth consecutive title (as co-captain, along with Nathan Cleary), before steering the Kangaroos to their Pacific Cup success, is a stand-out who looks likely to enjoy a long tenure in his leadership roles.

He will also have strong claims to captain New South Wales when Laurie Daley returns as coach in 2025.

Storm playmaker Jahrome Hughes had few rivals for the halfback position and won the Dally M player of the year award as a clear favourite for the honour, along with RLPA Players Champion and Cameron Smith Medal as Storm player of the year.

There is no question that Nathan Cleary remains the game’s No 1 player but with injuries restricting him to 13 games across the season, a place in the Team of the Year was problematic.

Centres Stephen Crichton and Herbie Farnworth retain their places in the Team of the Year for the second year running despite both players changing clubs.

Crichton starred for the Bulldogs and New South Wales, while Farnworth was superb for the Dolphins and England.

Yeo is joined in the Team of the Year by fellow Panthers Brian To’o, Luai and James Fisher-Harris, while Hughes takes his place alongside Storm team-mates Harry Grant and Eliesa Katoa, consistently among the best in the competition in their respective positions.

Senior Roosters players Tedesco, prop Lindsay Collins and second-rower Angus Crichton played some of their best football in 2024, with Tedesco finishing a point away from Hughes in Dally M voting, Crichton claiming the Wally Lewis Medal and Brad Fittler Medal for his State of Origin performances, while Collins starred for the Roosters, Maroons and Kangaroos.