Best NRLW Players by Position 2026: EXCEL Sports Pre-Finals Rankings | EXCEL Sports Management
Who are the Best NRLW Players 2026 heading into the finals?
It sounds like a simple question.
It isn't.
How do you compare a fullback who creates tries and breaks defensive lines with a prop who continually carries into the hardest part of the field, produces post-contact metres and then makes 25 or 30 tackles?
How do you compare a halfback controlling field position with an edge back-rower whose line running creates opportunities even when she doesn't receive the football?
You shouldn't.
At EXCEL Sports Management, we believe players should be assessed according to what their position actually requires.
So heading into the 2026 NRLW finals, we have gone position by position to identify the players we believe have performed best throughout the regular season.
This is the EXCEL Sports 2026 Pre-Finals Position Ranking.
These aren't career rankings.
They aren't popularity rankings.
They aren't based on social media following, reputation or who has the biggest profile.
They are a snapshot of 2026 performance heading into the finals.
Most importantly, different positions have been assessed differently.
How We Ranked the Best NRLW Players 2026
There is no single statistic that determines whether somebody is an elite rugby league player.
Our assessment considers the statistics relevant to each position, including running metres, post-contact metres, tackle breaks, line breaks, tries, try assists, line-break assists, kicking metres, forced dropouts, defensive workload, tackle efficiency, errors, offloads, work rate, involvement and consistency.
But statistics are only part of the assessment.
We also consider positional value.
For a fullback, we want involvement, yardage, support play, tackle breaks, line breaks and attacking creation.
For wingers and centres, yardage, finishing, tackle breaks, post-contact metres and defensive reliability become important.
For halves, we're looking at creation, kicking, game management, forced dropouts and the ability to control a football team.
For middle forwards, carries, post-contact metres, defensive workload, efficiency, offloads and repeat effort become extremely important.
For edge back-rowers, we also consider something statistics don't always explain properly:
Line running.
Timing.
Angles.
Recognising gaps.
Holding defenders.
Creating space for somebody else.
And continuing to work when you don't receive the football.
That's why this isn't simply a leaderboard of the biggest numbers.
These are our leading players at each position, ranked according to the demands of their role.
It's an assessment of football value by position.
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 4 Fullbacks
1. Tamika Upton
For us, Tamika Upton is the No.1 fullback heading into the 2026 finals.
Her combination of running threat, support play, tackle breaking and attacking creation separates her from an outstanding group.
Upton has produced the type of season where she isn't simply finishing opportunities.
She's creating them.
She can change a game through a kick return, a support run, an individual line break or the final pass.
When assessing a modern NRLW fullback, we want somebody who can influence the game in multiple ways.
Upton does exactly that.
2. Sheridan Gallagher
Sheridan Gallagher's yardage and involvement have been exceptional.
Her ability to repeatedly get involved and generate metres gives her team an enormous advantage coming out of difficult field position.
That's an important distinction.
Fullback isn't only about spectacular attacking moments.
A great fullback can help start the set.
Gallagher's work rate and running production put her firmly at No.2 in our pre-finals rankings.
3. Abbi Church
Abbi Church continues to demonstrate why consistency matters.
She provides involvement, tackle-breaking ability and reliability from the back.
She may not always generate the same headlines as some of the game's biggest names, but when we're ranking players according to what they consistently contribute to their football team, Church deserves recognition.
4. Jada Taylor
Jada Taylor completes our Top 4.
Her running threat and ability to beat defenders make her extremely dangerous when she gets space.
She's one of those players who can turn an ordinary attacking opportunity into something completely different.
EXCEL Sports Top 4 Fullbacks
1. Tamika Upton
2. Sheridan Gallagher
3. Abbi Church
4. Jada Taylor
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 6 Wingers
Wing has evolved enormously in modern rugby league.
We're no longer judging wingers simply by how many tries they score.
The best wingers are effectively additional forwards coming out of their own end.
They carry early in sets.
They produce metres after contact.
They win field position.
Then, when the opportunity arrives, they still need to finish.
1. Stacey Waaka
Stacey Waaka gives you athleticism, finishing ability and genuine attacking danger.
She can turn limited space into an attacking opportunity and remains one of the most dangerous outside backs in the competition.
2. Mackenzie Wiki
Mackenzie Wiki's power and ability to generate yardage are major parts of her value.
She isn't simply waiting for the football near the try line.
Her willingness to work and carry gives her team value throughout the entire field.
3. Julia Robinson
Julia Robinson remains one of the strongest yardage wingers in the women's game.
Her physical running gives her team an additional forward coming out of its own end, while her finishing remains highly effective.
4. Indie Bostock
Indie Bostock's speed immediately changes defensive decision-making.
Give her space and she can punish a defensive line very quickly.
But her development is increasingly about becoming more than simply a speed player.
5. Lily Patston
Lily Patston has continued to build a strong reputation through work rate, finishing and involvement.
She's another example of why wing performance needs to be assessed beyond the try column.
6. Brydie Parker
Brydie Parker completes an extremely competitive Top 6.
Experience, finishing and an understanding of where opportunities are going to develop remain valuable qualities in a winger.
EXCEL Sports Top 6 Wingers
1. Stacey Waaka
2. Mackenzie Wiki
3. Julia Robinson
4. Indie Bostock
5. Lily Patston
6. Brydie Parker
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 6 Centres
This might be one of the strongest positional groups in the entire competition.
The modern NRLW centre needs to do much more than score tries.
They need to generate yardage.
Beat defenders.
Create opportunities.
Make defensive decisions.
And increasingly, they need to become another source of momentum for their football team.
1. Isabelle Kelly
Isabelle Kelly takes our No.1 centre position.
Her running production from centre has been exceptional, but it's the combination of metres, tackle-breaking ability and attacking creation that makes her particularly valuable.
She's not simply finishing movements.
She can create them.
2. Jess Sergis
Jess Sergis remains one of the most dangerous attacking centres in the competition.
Her try-scoring production speaks for itself, but she also consistently threatens defensive lines and creates uncertainty whenever she receives the football.
Very little separates our first two centres.
3. Jaime Chapman
Few players are more dangerous one-on-one than Jaime Chapman.
Her tackle-breaking ability is outstanding.
When Chapman receives the football with even a small amount of space, defensive systems immediately come under pressure.
4. Mele Hufanga
Power.
That's one of the first things that stands out when assessing Mele Hufanga.
She can carry through contact, challenge defenders physically and create momentum from centre.
5. Annessa Biddle
Annessa Biddle continues to establish herself as one of the competition's strongest centres.
Her physicality, running ability and willingness to compete make her extremely difficult to contain.
6. Sidney Taylor
Sidney Taylor rounds out our Top 6 in what is an extremely competitive position.
Her ability to contribute both with the football and through the less spectacular parts of centre play earns her a place in our rankings.
EXCEL Sports Top 6 Centres
1. Isabelle Kelly
2. Jess Sergis
3. Jaime Chapman
4. Mele Hufanga
5. Annessa Biddle
6. Sidney Taylor
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 4 Five-Eighths
This is where statistics need context.
A five-eighth can influence a game through running, passing, shape, decision-making and combinations with the players around her.
1. Teagan Levi
Teagan Levi's athletic ability gives her an enormous running threat.
Defenders cannot simply sit on the pass because she's capable of attacking the line herself.
That dual threat is incredibly valuable.
2. Jocelyn Kelleher
Jocelyn Kelleher's ability to contribute within an attacking structure earns her the No.2 position.
Her value isn't simply measured by one attacking statistic.
It's about how consistently she contributes to the movement of the football team.
3. Kirra Dibb
Kirra Dibb brings experience, kicking and organisation.
Game management matters enormously in the halves, particularly when matches become tight.
4. Georgia Hannaway
Georgia Hannaway completes the Top 4 and remains an exciting developing playmaker.
Her challenge now is continuing to turn natural football ability into consistent NRLW control and production.
EXCEL Sports Top 4 Five-Eighths
1. Teagan Levi
2. Jocelyn Kelleher
3. Kirra Dibb
4. Georgia Hannaway
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 5 Halfbacks
Halfback is one of the hardest positions to rank using statistics alone.
Try assists matter.
Line-break assists matter.
Kicking metres matter.
Forced dropouts matter.
But so does knowing when to slow a game down, when to attack, where to kick and how to organise the players around you.
And there's another measurement we believe matters:
Did you make the football team around you better?
1. Tarryn Aiken
Tarryn Aiken takes our No.1 position.
Her attacking creation throughout 2026 has been exceptional.
The ability to repeatedly create opportunities for other players is exactly what we want from an elite playmaker.
She's not No.1 because of reputation.
She's No.1 because of influence.
2. Jesse Southwell
Jesse Southwell continues to demonstrate outstanding game-management ability.
Her kicking game is a significant weapon, and her ability to create opportunities while controlling field position makes her one of the competition's most valuable halves.
3. Lauren Brown
Lauren Brown's kicking production and ability to create repeat possession deserve enormous recognition.
Forced dropouts aren't glamorous.
But repeat possession changes games.
That's why we value them.
4. Zahara Temara
Zahara Temara remains one of the competition's most experienced and influential playmakers.
Her ability to create, organise and understand the rhythm of a game earns her a position in our Top 5.
But there is another part of her 2026 contribution that matters.
Leadership.
When a football team is pushing into territory it hasn't previously experienced, the influence of an experienced half becomes even more important.
That's something a statistics table alone cannot completely measure.
5. Raecene McGregor
Raecene McGregor deserves to be recognised for far more than her individual statistics in 2026.
Her kicking game, attacking creation, experience and game management have been major parts of the Wests Tigers' improvement.
But perhaps the biggest measure of her value is what has happened around her.
The Wests Tigers have reached the NRLW finals for the first time in club history.
For a halfback, that matters.
We talk throughout these rankings about adding value, and sometimes the greatest value a playmaker can add is making the entire football team around her better.
McGregor has helped provide direction, composure and leadership to a Tigers side that has taken a significant step forward in 2026.
That's why she earns a place in our Top 5 Halfbacks heading into the finals.
EXCEL Sports Top 5 Halfbacks
1. Tarryn Aiken
2. Jesse Southwell
3. Lauren Brown
4. Zahara Temara
5. Raecene McGregor
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 6 Hookers
Hooker is another position where raw statistics can be misleading.
A hooker can make enormous tackle numbers while also being responsible for service, ruck speed, decision-making and identifying when the defensive line is vulnerable.
1. Quincy Dodd
Quincy Dodd's work through the middle and ability to influence the ruck earn her our No.1 ranking.
2. Destiny Brill
Destiny Brill combines physicality with genuine threat around the football.
She's capable of changing momentum rather than simply distributing from dummy half.
3. Olivia Higgins
Olivia Higgins provides the work rate and consistency we expect from a quality NRLW hooker.
4. Chanté Temara
Chanté Temara's experience, service and ability to understand what's happening around the ruck earn her a position in our Top 6.
5. Mary-Jane Taito
Mary-Jane Taito might be one of the most exciting young hookers to emerge through the pathways into the NRLW in 2026.
What makes her season particularly impressive is the speed of her progression.
She has gone from the Tarsha Gale Cup pathway into the Bulldogs NRLW Top 24 and then into the starting No.9 jersey.
For a young player making that jump, we're not expecting a finished NRLW footballer.
We're looking for evidence that she belongs.
Mary-Jane has shown that.
Her service, movement around the ruck, willingness to defend through the middle and confidence against established NRLW footballers make her development particularly exciting.
She's still learning.
She's still developing.
And she's only at the beginning of understanding how influential she can become from dummy half.
That's exactly why she's in our Top 6.
6. Emma Manzelmann
Emma Manzelmann rounds out our Top 6.
Her speed and threat around the ruck give her an attacking dimension that defensive middles have to respect.
EXCEL Sports Top 6 Hookers
1. Quincy Dodd
2. Destiny Brill
3. Olivia Higgins
4. Chanté Temara
5. Mary-Jane Taito
6. Emma Manzelmann
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 6 Props
Now we get into one of the most misunderstood positions when people talk about player value.
Props don't need to score tries to dominate a football game.
We want carries.
Post-contact metres.
Repeat effort.
Defensive workload.
Tackle efficiency.
Quick play-the-balls.
Offloads.
And the willingness to continually carry into the hardest part of the defensive line.
1. Alexis Tauaneai
For us, Alexis Tauaneai is the No.1 NRLW prop heading into the 2026 finals.
And this isn't an EXCEL Sports Management ranking based on the fact that we represent her.
The production supports the argument.
Alexis has combined enormous running output with outstanding post-contact production and a significant defensive workload.
She's not simply carrying the football.
She's carrying into contact and continuing beyond it.
Those post-contact metres matter because they affect the next play.
They can create a retreating defensive line.
They can generate a quicker play-the-ball.
They can give the hooker and halves more space.
Then she has to get back into the defensive line and work again.
That's middle-forward value.
At only 21, there is also significant development still ahead of her.
For us, Alexis Tauaneai has earned the No.1 prop ranking heading into the finals.
2. Ellie Johnston
Ellie Johnston remains one of the competition's premier middle forwards.
She brings size, work rate, yardage and defensive commitment.
Her ability to repeatedly challenge the middle earns her our No.2 position.
3. Millie Elliott
Millie Elliott's experience and understanding of middle-forward football remain extremely valuable.
There is a difference between simply running hard and understanding when, where and how to carry.
4. Caitlan Johnston-Green
Caitlan Johnston-Green brings genuine physical presence.
She can create momentum through contact and remains one of the competition's most difficult forwards to contain when she gets onto the front foot.
5. Shaniece Monschau
Shaniece Monschau is perhaps one of the most interesting players in this entire ranking.
Because she's still extremely raw.
And we mean that positively.
There are areas of her football that can continue to improve significantly, yet she's already producing at NRLW level through the middle.
Her defensive workload, physicality and willingness to carry give her a foundation.
The next stage is refinement.
Better understanding of when to carry.
Better movement.
Better positioning.
More efficiency.
More consistency.
That's development.
We don't believe players need to be finished products at 22, 23 or 24 years old.
Sometimes the exciting part is recognising what somebody is already producing while understanding how much improvement is still available.
Watch her development.
6. Sarah Togatuki
Sarah Togatuki rounds out our Top 6.
She brings physicality and middle experience and remains capable of changing momentum through direct carries and contact.
EXCEL Sports Top 6 Props
1. Alexis Tauaneai
2. Ellie Johnston
3. Millie Elliott
4. Caitlan Johnston-Green
5. Shaniece Monschau
6. Sarah Togatuki
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 6 Edge Back Rowers
This is one of our favourite positions to analyse.
Why?
Because statistics don't properly measure everything an elite edge back-rower does.
A great line runner can influence a defensive structure without touching the football.
If she gets her timing right, attacks the correct shoulder and commits a defender, she may create the space that allows somebody outside her to score.
She doesn't receive a try assist.
She doesn't receive a line-break assist.
Sometimes she doesn't receive any statistic at all.
But she added value.
1. Yasmin Meakes
Yasmin Meakes takes our No.1 position through her combination of physicality, work rate and influence on an edge.
2. Romy Teitzel
Romy Teitzel's consistency and ability to contribute on both sides of the football earn her the No.2 ranking.
She's reliable, experienced and understands the demands of the position.
3. Kezie Apps
Kezie Apps remains an outstanding example of why experience and football intelligence matter.
She understands lines, defensive responsibilities and how to influence an edge.
4. Jordyn Preston
This is where we believe Jordyn Preston's development deserves recognition.
Jordyn has become an increasingly effective line runner.
And that means much more than simply running hard.
A good line runner understands timing.
She understands angles.
She recognises the gap between defenders.
She knows when to straighten.
She knows when to hold her line.
And sometimes her most valuable run is the one where she never receives the football.
If Jordyn commits the inside defender and creates space outside her, she's contributed to the attacking play even though the traditional statistics may show nothing.
That's why we don't evaluate edge forwards purely through metres and tries.
Her defensive workload and physical development are also continuing to improve.
And importantly, Jordyn is still relatively early in her NRLW development.
She's not the finished product.
That's precisely why we believe her trajectory is worth watching.
5. Shaylee Bent
Shaylee Bent's athleticism, power and ability to threaten a defensive edge earn her the No.5 position.
She can create problems both through direct running and movement around the football.
6. Jasmin Strange
Jasmin Strange absolutely deserves to be in this conversation.
She rounds out an extremely strong Top 6 and provides the athleticism and work rate required from the modern edge forward.
EXCEL Sports Top 6 Edge Back Rowers
1. Yasmin Meakes
2. Romy Teitzel
3. Kezie Apps
4. Jordyn Preston
5. Shaylee Bent
6. Jasmin Strange
Best NRLW Players 2026 — Top 4 Locks
Lock is changing.
Some teams use the position almost like a third prop.
Others want ball-playing.
Some need enormous defensive work rate.
The best locks can provide multiple elements.
1. Olivia Kernick
Olivia Kernick takes our No.1 lock position.
Her running output, post-contact production and defensive workload make an extremely strong argument.
She can generate momentum while still handling the defensive responsibilities required through the middle.
2. Simaima Taufa
Simaima Taufa's work rate and defensive contribution remain exceptional.
Middle football requires resilience.
You don't get to disappear for five minutes.
You're continually involved in contact on both sides of the football.
Taufa understands that role extremely well.
3. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa
Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa — Teka — takes our No.3 position.
This is another example of why we assess the job rather than simply looking at tries.
Teka's value is built around middle work.
Running metres.
Post-contact metres.
Defensive workload.
Tackle breaking.
Offloads.
Repeat effort.
But she also provides positional flexibility.
She can operate through the middle in different roles, which gives a coaching staff options.
Leadership also matters.
Not every part of leadership appears in a statistics table.
Communication, standards and willingness to continually take difficult carries all contribute to a football team.
For us, Teka is the No.3 lock heading into the 2026 finals.
4. Georgia Hale
Georgia Hale completes our Top 4.
Her work rate and ability to remain involved through the middle continue to make her a highly valuable NRLW player.
EXCEL Sports Top 4 Locks
1. Olivia Kernick
2. Simaima Taufa
3. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa
4. Georgia Hale
Best NRLW Players 2026 — No.14 Utility and Impact Players
The No.14 jersey deserves its own discussion.
It's one of the most misunderstood roles in rugby league.
The best No.14 isn't necessarily the 14th-best player in the team.
A genuine utility needs to be able to enter a match with very little warning, understand multiple positions and immediately change something.
That might be speed.
Ruck threat.
Ball-playing.
Defensive energy.
Or the ability to cover an injury anywhere across the field.
Faythe Manera — A Genuine Impact Player
Faythe Manera deserves particular recognition here.
Her value comes from her ability to influence a match in different ways and adapt to what her football team requires.
That is exactly what we look for in a genuine utility or impact player.
A No.14 can spend long periods watching the game develop from the sideline and then suddenly be required to enter and immediately make decisions at NRLW speed.
That's difficult.
Faythe has shown the attacking ability and versatility to make an impact when her opportunity arrives.
And that's why we believe her 2026 season deserves specific recognition.
She isn't included in our Rookie of the Year ranking because she made her NRLW debut before 2026.
But that doesn't reduce what she has achieved this season.
Sometimes development isn't about making your debut.
It's about what you become after your debut.
Best NRLW Players 2026 — EXCEL Sports Rookie of the Year Top 6
Now we come to the next generation.
For this section, we are looking at players experiencing their first NRLW season in 2026.
This isn't about which rookie will eventually have the biggest career.
It's about who has impressed us most through performance, opportunity, responsibility, positional difficulty and how quickly they have adapted to NRLW football.
1. Mary-Jane Taito — EXCEL Sports Pre-Finals Rookie of the Year
Our No.1 is Mary-Jane Taito.
Her progression alone tells part of the story.
From the Tarsha Gale Cup pathway to an NRLW Top 24 position and then into Canterbury's starting No.9 jersey.
That's a serious transition.
Hooker is also not an easy position in which to hide a young player.
You're continually involved.
You have to defend through the middle.
Your service affects almost every attacking set.
You need to understand the ruck.
You need to make decisions while tired.
And throughout the season, Mary-Jane has been trusted with significant responsibility in Canterbury's No.9 jersey.
She's not the finished product.
She shouldn't be.
But what she's demonstrated in her first season tells us something important:
She belongs at this level.
For EXCEL Sports, Mary-Jane Taito is our 2026 Pre-Finals Rookie of the Year.
2. Caitlin Urwin
Caitlin Urwin has demonstrated why athletes crossing from other sports can become extremely dangerous when their physical qualities translate into rugby league.
Her athleticism and ability to make an immediate impact earn her our No.2 position.
3. Rhemy Hinckesman
Rhemy Hinckesman's rise through rugby league has been rapid.
For a developing middle, the challenge is enormous because there is nowhere to hide physically.
Her willingness to compete through the middle makes her one of the rookies we're most interested in watching develop.
4. Leilani Wilson
Leilani Wilson has quietly put together a very impressive first NRLW season.
What particularly interests us is her ability to handle the defensive demands of NRLW football while also demonstrating versatility across the forward pack.
Young forwards can often carry effectively.
The challenge is maintaining defensive standards against NRLW opposition week after week.
Wilson has demonstrated that she can handle responsibility.
She's another player worth watching closely.
5. Lillian Yarrow
Lillian Yarrow's emergence through the middle earns her a place in our Top 6.
Young props need time.
The physical requirements of NRLW middle football are significant, and development doesn't stop simply because somebody has made her debut.
6. Namoe Gesa
Namoe Gesa rounds out our Rookie Top 6.
Her athletic qualities and development make her another player we believe has significant upside beyond her first NRLW season.
EXCEL Sports Rookie of the Year Top 6
1. Mary-Jane Taito
2. Caitlin Urwin
3. Rhemy Hinckesman
4. Leilani Wilson
5. Lillian Yarrow
6. Namoe Gesa
The NRLW Player Injury Kept Out of Our 2026 Rankings — Madison Mulhall
There is another EXCEL Sports player we believe deserves acknowledgement.
Madison Mulhall.
Madison isn't being forced into our 2026 positional rankings because injury prevented us from making a fair season-long comparison.
That's important.
We won't manipulate a ranking simply to include one of our players.
But injury doesn't erase what a player had already established.
Madison's performances before the setback demonstrated the qualities required from an elite middle forward:
Work rate.
Defensive efficiency.
Toughness.
Consistency.
And an ability to repeatedly compete through the middle.
Her previous NRLW performances had already established her as a player capable of producing at this level.
The challenge now is rehabilitation, patience and rebuilding.
When Madison returns, the objective shouldn't simply be getting back onto an NRLW field.
The objective is returning as a better player.
That's the long-term approach.
Why Statistics Don't Tell the Entire NRLW Story
Statistics matter.
We use them.
Clubs use them.
Coaches use them.
Recruiters use them.
Agents should understand them.
Players should understand them.
But statistics without football context can become misleading.
A player can make 150 metres because her team continually gives her the football.
Another player might make 100 metres while performing an entirely different role.
A half can have fewer try assists while repeatedly kicking her team into strong field position.
An edge forward can create a line break without touching the football.
A middle can dominate through defensive contact without producing a highlight.
A No.14 can completely change the tempo of a game despite playing significantly fewer minutes than a starter.
That's why the question shouldn't always be:
“What were her stats?”
Sometimes the better question is:
“What value did she add?”
What Young Players Should Learn From the Best NRLW Players 2026
If you're a young player reading this, don't simply look at these names and think:
I want to be better than her.
Look at what the best players in your position actually do.
If you're a winger, study how elite wingers carry the football out of trouble.
If you're a centre, study their defensive decisions and how they generate yardage.
If you're a half, watch what happens before the try assist.
If you're an edge forward, watch the line runners who don't receive the football.
If you're a prop, watch how elite middles find their front, generate post-contact metres, get back into position and then defend again.
If you're a hooker, study the ruck, service and decision-making rather than simply watching who runs from dummy half.
If you're a utility, learn more than one position and understand how to enter a football game without needing 10 minutes to adjust.
Study your position.
Understand your job.
Then add something to it.
That's development.
EXCEL Sports Best NRLW Players 2026 — Pre-Finals Rankings
These rankings aren't intended to disrespect players who missed out.
Quite the opposite.
The depth of talent throughout the NRLW is increasing.
There are players immediately outside every positional ranking who could make a legitimate argument for inclusion.
And finals football may change the conversation again.
But that's why we've deliberately called this our Pre-Finals Ranking.
This is our assessment of what players have produced before the 2026 finals begin.
It creates a line in the sand.
Then we get to watch what happens when the pressure increases.
Because finals football asks another question:
Who produces when everything is on the line?
One Final Message — Don't Chase Rankings
There's something important we want every developing player to understand.
Don't chase lists like this.
Don't chase somebody else's statistics.
Don't chase another player's contract.
And don't spend your career comparing yourself with somebody playing the same position.
Study them.
Learn from them.
Then run your own race.
Ask yourself:
What value am I adding to my football team?
Can your coach trust you?
Do you understand your position?
Are you improving?
Do you work when you don't have the football?
Can you repeat your effort when you're tired?
Are you becoming difficult to replace?
Those questions will take you much further than worrying about somebody else's ranking.
The objective isn't to become a Top 4, Top 5 or Top 6 player for one season.
The objective is to build yourself into a player capable of having a 10-year career.
Add value.
Earn your position.
Keep developing.
Excel With Us.
Family • Faith • You.
Author Note: These rankings represent EXCEL Sports Management's assessment of NRLW performances heading into the 2026 finals. Players have been assessed according to the statistical and football demands of their respective positions. The rankings are opinion and analysis, not an official NRL ranking. EXCEL Sports Management represents several players discussed in this article, including Alexis Tauaneai, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, Jordyn Preston, Shaniece Monschau, Mary-Jane Taito and Madison Mulhall. Those relationships are disclosed in the interests of transparency.
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