NRL Depth Swoop - Centre
Top Dogs
Michael Jennings - Blessed with lightning quick speed and footwork, Jennings is the type of centre you want to build your side around. He's big enough and strong enough to hold his own defensively and thanks to his speed he's able to make the most of any chance no matter how small.
Justin Hodges - Love him or hate him, Hodges is good. He's got all the skills whether it's a quick shift, and off load or a flick out the back to go with his footwork and size. Good luck getting the better of Hodges and with his dummy half running being up there with the best in the league, Hodges can find himself popping up anywhere.
Jamie Lyon - He's not getting any younger, but Lyon never looks like he's loosing any of his talents. He's as tough as they come and has all the attacking traits to make him nearly impossible to shut down. It seems like the last tackle shift to him to kick down the centre channel is a set play and Manly benefit greatly from having Lyon be able to pretty much do it all.
Steve Matai - He's known as one of the toughest players to grace the NRL in recent years but Matai has a well rounded game which puts him at the top. He's able to offer the little skills that Lyon has such as kicking, but he's definitely a ball runner who is arguably the best defensive centre. It always seems that who ever is playing outside of Matai is good for a few tries and Matai himself is able to create something out of nothing with a footy brain rivaling Lyon's.
Almost Theres
Josh Morris - There aren't too many weaknesses in the play of Morris who has the size, footwork and speed to not only trouble defenders but also be strong defensively. He's a definite Origin player and oozes class in pretty much everything he does, but the only thing holding him back is that he hasn't shown the ability to create opportunities for himself and others this season ... kinda cos he's been injured a bit.
Dylan Walker - He could be anything, honestly he's got it all and he's someone who hasn't really put a foot wrong so far. Speed, footwork and skills thanks to his halves back ground, Walker has stood out in a Rabbitohs side which has a fair amount of star power. He's still young so he's gotta show that he can do this consistently, but a decent effort in the playoffs could push him up.
Konrad Hurrell - Probably the hardest man to tackle in the NRL and he's become the go to man on the right edge for the Warriors. He's shown that he has good hands to match his power, while question marks over his defence remain. He has however shown a fair amount of effort to get better and he looks like a man with a point to prove.
Joseph Leilua - He seems to go under the radar a fair bit, but Leilua is the type of player who defenders would hate to come up against. He's pretty huge, has good footwork and speed which makes him a weapon on attack and able to defend his edge. He'll need to put in a few match winning performances to creep up the ladder.
Reliable Battlers
Kane Linnett - I'm a bit confused about Linnett, I love him and love his play but I really wanna see him make his mark and introduce himself to the footy world. He does a great job for the Cowboys week in week out but he needs a break out performance or two to really let people know.
Dean Whare - Same with Whare, we see him go well for the Panthers but he does go missing every so often and isn't dominant week in week out. However, if the Panthers have any success this year, Whare will play his part.
Dane Gagai - It's hard to put Leilua above Gagai but Leilua's been doing it for a bit longer. Gagai is a very good young centre who may look better on a more dominant side.
Jarrod Croker - He scores plenty of tries, but looks a little sketchy on defence. He's definitely someone who will do a job in any side and he's got all the skills but he's got a bit of development left in him.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall - He's featured heavily on the wing but he's someone who has made his bread as a centre. Rarely does he play a bad game but he's gotta be a bit more dominant for the Chooks to get a look up.
Gerard Beale - Had a cracking start to the season but he's been reasonably quiet as of late. Not someone who you would want to leave out of your side and he'll do a great job for any coach.