During the 2024 season, nswrl.com.au selects the round’s best 13 of New South Wales eligible players. These selections are based on the writers’ opinions and do not reflect the views of the NSWRL or the selection process for the Westpac NSW Blues. Players who are sin-binned, sent off, or charged by the NRL match review committee are ineligible for Team of the Week nominations.
1. Tom Trbojevic. Club: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 10. TOTW selections: 2.
Two tries, 20 runs for 196 metres, two line breaks and five tackle busts is what we’ve come to expect from the Sea Eagles fullback.
In defence he is equally as lethal with three kicks defused and a couple of try-saver tackles to help his team to their fourth win this year.
2. Jacob Kiraz. Club: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
In a week where wingers shone, Kiraz scored his second try this season, made two line breaks, a tackle bust, and two off-loads.
He averages 173 metres a game but against Newcastle he made 190 metres off 22 runs, including 53 post-contact.
3. Tolutau Koula. Club: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 3.
This talented 21 year-old scored his fourth try in seven games in the 34-30 win over the Titans on Saturday and becomes one of four Sea Eagles in TOTW this round.
He made 191 metres off 19 runs – the second highest behind teammate Tom Trbojevic.
4. Zac Lomax. Club: St George Illawarra Dragons. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
Lomax has been knocking at the TOTW door recently and came right in after a magnificent kick retrieval and try against the Warriors on Friday night. Then there was the two-point field goal right on halftime.
Add to that bundle his 60 post-contact metres, a line-break assist, three tackle breaks and four goals.
5. Jack Bostock. Club: Dolphins. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 3.
Bostock earned his third TOTW selection after his first hat-trick of his short NRL career (10 games).
He made four linebreaks in his 17 runs for 165 metres along with a try assist and a tackle bust.
6. Matt Burton. Club: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. SOO appearances: 2. TOTW selections: 3.
Burton joined Aidan Sezer as the only two players with two 40/20s so far this season.
In the 24-point win over Newcastle he also had 12 kicks in play for 283 metres, had a 100% goal kicking record (6-6), a line-break assist, two tackle busts, a forced drop-out and had the fastest play-the-ball (2.9sec) of his team.
7. Isaiya Katoa (c). Club: Dolphins. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Katoa was everywhere against Parramatta, making 17 runs as a halfback for 114 metres.
His work with the ball with phenomenal – four line-break assists, three try assists, two tackles busts alongside 14 kicks for 477 metres.
8. Taniela Paseka. Club: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 3.
Paseka made 179 metres off 17 runs in 57 minutes on the field against the Titans. He is a hard man to stop when he gets into gear with 93 post-contact metres.
9. Jacob Liddle. Club: St George Illawarra Dragons. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
The Dragons had plenty of stars in the 18-point win over the Warriors but Liddle was one of the workhorses in the background.
He had a line-break assist, a try assist, and a tackle bust along with four dummy-half runs. He also made 40 tackles and had an intercept.
10. Tom Hazelton. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Hazelton may have only been on the field for 28 minutes but he made a line break, had four tackles-busts and made 18 tackles without missing any.
He also scored a four-pointer Fox League commentator, and True Blue, Greg Alexander described was one of the best tries by a prop he had ever seen. The 25-year-old accepts the pass from Nicho Hynes eight metres out and evades four tacklers in a sideways run to the line.
11. Haumole Olakau’atu. Club: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 3.
Olakau’atu earned his third TOTW nomination by not only scoring his third try of the season, but also having a try assist, a linebreak, three tackle busts and making 22 tackles.
12. Shawn Blore. Club: Melbourne Storm. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
A first-timer in TOTW Blore made 14 runs for 119 metres, 51 post-contact, had a linebreak assist, three tackle busts and an offload.
He also made 31 tackles without missing any.
13. Isaah Yeo. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 11. TOTW selections: 3.
Yeo has managed to keep putting a little more sparkle into his play in the absence of the injured Nathan Cleary.
Against Wests Tigers he did his usual trick of topping his team’s tackle count plus he made 18 runs for 159 metres, a linebreak assist, a try assist, and a tackle break.
