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. Ryan Papenhuyzen. Club: Melbourne Storm. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
His opening try in the first half and then his second two minutes after halftime have given Papenhuyzen six tries in seven matches for Storm so far.
He had two line breaks in his 108 metres off 16 runs against South Sydney, along with two tackle busts, three dummy-half runs and defusing four kicks.
2. Brian To'o. Club: Penrith Panthers. SOO appearances: 9. TOTW selections: 3.
For a man who runs an average of 215 metres per game, it's no surprise that in his 100th NRL match he didn't let those lofty standards drop. He tore up and down Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday night with 18 runs for 227 metres.
To'o had 77 post-contact metres as part of that, but it was the 21 tackle busts that were even more eye-catching.
3. Jesse Ramien. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Ramien has been close to gaining TOTW selection on several occasions but his 20 runs for 194 metres in the 40-0 shutdown of Canberra on Sunday sealed it.
He broke out of 10 tackles, had a line-break assist, a try assist, scored a four-pointer himself and had 63 post-contact metres.
4. Reuben Garrick. Club: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
This Gerrigong Lions junior collected 20 of the 32 points the Sea Eagles posted in the win over Parramatta last Friday at 4 Pines Park.
He scored two tries, kicked all six goals, along with his two line breaks, four tackle busts and 157 metres from 16 runs.
5. Jason Saab. Club: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2
In just his second week back from missing six through a hamstring injury, Saab made three line breaks and ran for 184 metres off 14 runs.
He also sprinted down the right flank to put Tom Trbojevic away for the Sea Eagles second of five tries.
6. Luke Keary. Club: Sydney Roosters. SOO appearances: 1. TOTW selections: 2.
The veteran Anzac Day match player did his part to help rack up 60 points against St George Illawarra last Thursday.
He scored the sixth of the Roosters 10 tries, while setting up Nat Butcher for his first with a pin-point bomb, he busted out of two tackles, had a dummy-half run, an off-load, made 21 tackles, and had 16 kicks for 370 metres.
7. Nicho Hynes. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 1. TOTW selections: 1.
Hynes made his debut in TOTW for 2024 with a Player of the Week performance. It was a case of what didn't the Sharks captain do to help secure the win against the Raiders.
He scored a try, set up two others, had three line-break assists, eight tackle busts, an off-load, and two intercepts in his 25 runs for 202 metres. He also made 25 tackles and put up 14 kicks for 456 metres as well as six goals and a 40/20.
8. Tom Hazelton. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
It's a case of back-to-back TOTW nominations and consecutive tries in two weeks for the head-band wearing prop. He scored against the Cowboys in Round Seven and added to the Raiders misery on Sunday with another.
Hazelton also busted out of three tackles, had an off-load and a line break and made 26 tackles, missing none, in his 42 minutes on GIO Stadium.
9. Chris Randall. Club: Gold Coast Titans. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
The Titans broke their 2024 duck with a fine win in one of the most difficult grounds for away teams - Auckland's Go Media Stadium - but Randall was key to their success.
He had a line-break assist, a try assist, made three dummy-half runs, alongside 41 tackles missing just one.
10. Payne Haas. Club: Brisbane Broncos. SOO appearances: 11. TOTW selections: 2.
After missing five weeks with a knee injury, Haas was right back into the action in the Broncos 24-point win over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium.
He scored his first try for the year, made 45 post-contact metres in his 13 runs for 138 metres, two tackle breaks, made 28 tackles without missing any all in 51 minutes work. For that he's earned his second TOTW nomination from three games.
11. Angus Crichton. Club: Sydney Roosters. SOO appearances: 11. TOTW selections: 1.
Crichton is another to post their first try of the season on the Anzac weekend. And then he set up James Tedesco for his fourth of the year.
The left-edge back rower had a blue-ribbon day by breaking out of six tackles in his 116 metres off 14 runs, making five off-loads and 35 tackles.
12. Nat Butcher. Club: Sydney Roosters. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 1.
Butcher and Crichton were a damaging back row combination for the Roosters racking up three tries between them - Butcher grabbing a double.
He was his usual reliable self with 36 tackles, defused a kick, and no errors in his 127 metres off 11 runs, which included two line breaks.
13. Cameron McInnes. Club: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. SOO appearances: 0. TOTW selections: 2.
McInnes told Fox Sports post-match he'd lost count of how many stitches he'd had in his career, but he added another five on Sunday against the Raiders as he collected a knee on his way to the try line.
He had a line break, two tackle busts, 11 runs for 102 metres - 32 post-contact - and made 37 tackles without missing any.
