The regular season is done and dusted, and now it's time to look back at how some of the great individuals in the NRL performed in 2021.
Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell all had stellar seasons at the back, while some other No.1s struggled.
Sporting News will be ranking all positions throughout the season, starting with the fullbacks below.
(Rankings are based solely on 2021 regular season performances and who played the most games for their club in that particular position).
16. Nick Meaney - Bulldogs
22 games - 10 tries, 53 tackle breaks, 9 linebreaks, 122 metres per game
Another tough year for Canterbury, finishing with the wooden spoon in their first season under Trent Barrett.
Meaney was by no means bad for the Bulldogs - he was actually among their best over the course of the year - but his ranking is a consequence of their poor form.
Sharing the role with Corey Allan - who played four games at fullback - was another factor in Meaney's low ranking.
The 23-year-old will move to Melbourne next year and could find a home on the wing or the bench, with Ryan Papenhuyzen the long-term No.1 at the club.
15. Tesi Niu - Broncos
16 games - 8 tries, 54 tackle breaks, 6 linebreaks, 144 metres per game
Only cemented his spot at the back late in the season, but made a huge impact and showed plenty of promise.
Niu has shown his versatility during his time at Red Hill, covering both centre and wing as well as fullback, and has plenty of natural ability.
Still only 19 years of age, Niu has now inked a two-year extension at Brisbane and looks set to be their long-term option in the No.1 jumper.
Expect to see him shoot up these rankings in 12 months time.
14. Valentine Holmes - Cowboys
20 games - 4 tries, 10 try assists, 64 tackle breaks, 173 metres per game
Had some disruptions due to injury, but still struggled to mount consistent performancs in a poorly-performed side.
Holmes cemented his spot at the back this year under Todd Payten, and while his involvement was always high, he is still lacking the polish of the game's top fullbacks in regards to ball-playing and icing try-scoring situations.
The 26-year-old also finished the season with the most errors in the NRL (38), which is a stat no player wants to have.
Holmes now looks set for a long-term move to the centres, after struggling to perform consistently at the back.
13. Matt Dufty - Dragons
15 games - 10 tries, 11 try assists, 10 linebreaks, 136 metres per game
This is a strange one, to say the least.
Dufty started the year in fantastic form, sparking the Dragons into the top eight as the Red V surprised plenty of people.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Anthony Griffin decided that Dufty wasn't in the club's plans for next year and this saw a drop in form and eventually see the 25-year-old drop out of the side.
He will be a great pick-up for the Bulldogs next year, and a fresh start may be exactly what Dufty needs.
12. Ryan Papenhuyzen - Storm
13 games - 11 tries, 6 try assists, 12 linebreaks, 145 metres per game
This has nothing to do with Papenhuyzen's ability, but more the fact that he missed a large chunk of the season due to concussion issues.
Before he was sidelined, the 23-year-old was in red-hot form once again and was backing up his stellar 2020 campaign.
Papenhuyzen unfortunately played just 13 games, and once he returned from injury, was unable to get back into the starting side ahead of Nicho Hynes at first due to the fill-in fullback's own great form.
Will be back up the top of these rankings next year with Hynes leaving and hopefully no more injury dramas.
11. Reece Walsh - Warriors
16 games - 9 tries, 11 try assists, 14 linebreaks, 119 metres per game
The new kid on the block in 2021.
Moving to the Warriors mid-season from the Broncos, Walsh instantly made an impact on his new club and even forced Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the wing for some games.
The teenage sensation showed class beyond his years, and was even set to make his State of Origin debut before injury struck.
A stellar debut season and will only improve in years to come.
10. Dylan Edwards - Panthers
18 games - 5 tries, 4 try assists, 84 tackle breaks, 188 metres per game
Steady as she goes for the Penrith fullback.
Edwards doesn't have the flair or stats as some of the other fullbacks in the competition, but he remains an integral part of the Panthers' side in both attack and defence.
He is always there to take the tough carries and makes the players around him better, and is well-regarded within the club.
Edwards remains one of the real unsung heroes, not only for the Panthers, but across the entire NRL.
9. Daine Laurie - Tigers
19 games - 7 tries, 8 try assists, 71 tackle breaks, 134 metres per game
Another rookie on this list, Laurie was arguably the Tigers' best player in 2021.
The 22-year-old provided spark for his side in attack, but also proved his toughness on plenty of occasions.
He cemented himself as the long-term No.1 for Michael Maguire, using his speed and agility to break 71 tackles throughout the year despit being one of the smaller fullbacks in the NRL.
An unfortunate leg injury ended his season early, but Laurie is certainly a star of the future.
8. AJ Brimson - Titans
18 games - 7 tries, 9 try assists, 13 linebreaks, 160 metres per game
Another really solid year for Brimson, who continues to grow as a player and looks set for a bright future with the Titans after signing a long-term deal.
Among their best players whenever he was on the field for the Titans, the 22-year-old had a tough end to the season with a jaw injury sidelining him.
Brimson is one of the best support players in the competition, always sniffing in and around the big boppers in the Gold Coast lineup and also finishing off plenty of linebreaks.
Here's hoping for a full season next year with no injury disruptions - even though he might be in the No.6 jumper as Jayden Campbell takes over the reins at fullback.
7. Kalyn Ponga - Knights
14 games - 8 tries, 12 try assists, 69 tackle breaks, 148 metres per game
A disrupted campaign for the Knights superstar, but when he was on the field there is no denying his immense impact.
In the 14 games that Ponga played, Newcastle won eight and lost six, and one of those came in the final round where he only played half the contest.
The other factor at play is that the Knights struggled to field the full-strength spine too many times during the season, but when they did, Ponga was electric.
He still has to narrow the margin between his best game and worst game, but without Ponga, Newcastle wouldn't be playing finals footy in 2021.
6. Will Kennedy - Sharks
24 games - 14 tries, 14 try assists, 15 linebreaks, 146 metres per game
Not the flashiest player on this list, but Kennedy announced himself in 2021 with a stellar campaign for the black, white and blue.
The 24-year-old continues to grow as a player, and was arguablly Cronulla's best as they narrowly missed the finals.
Kennedy is a threat whether he is running or passing, and has continued to improve in other areas of his game.
More focus on his defence in the off-season under new coach Craig Fitzgibbon and Kennedy could rise further up the ranks of great fullbacks in our game.
5. Clint Gutherson - Eels
23 games - 13 tries, 18 try assists, 14 linebreaks, 166 metres per game
He might not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's no doubting how good Gutherson was in 2021.
His workrate and involvement is among the best in the competition, and he always sums up tryscoring situations for his outside men.
Gutherson's positional play and defensive work is also high-quality and he continues to set the bar for the fullbacks in that department.
No matter what haircut he was rocking, King Gutho was still among the Eels' best throughout the entire season once again.
4. Nicho Hynes - Storm
22 games - 7 tries, 17 try assists, 26 linebreak assists, 124 metres per game
What a revelation this man has been in 2021!
Starting the season on the bench, Hynes has played a large chunk of the year at the back with Ryan Papenhuyzen injured, and he hasn't disappointed.
Hynes' ball-playing is what sets him above most fullbacks in the NRL, with only Tom Trbojevic producing more try assists than him.
Late in the season he has been shuffled around, but there's no doubting that when he was at fullback, he was among the best in the competition.
3. Latrell Mitchell - Rabbitohs
17 games - 13 tries, 14 try assists, 18 linebreaks, 93 tackle breaks, 141 metres per game
An unfortunate end to his season aside, Latrell was fantastic for the Bunnies in 2021.
Close to the line with ball in hand, he was near unstoppable due to his size and strength - but his ball-playing in good-ball continues to improve as well and he continually ices 3-on-2 situations.
His workrate also improved on his 2020 campaign, averaging over 140 metres per game and getting his hands dirty.
Discipline is the major issue for Latrell, spending 10 weeks on the sidelines due to suspension. If he can fix that, the world is his oyster at the back.
2. James Tedesco - Roosters
20 games - 8 tries, 20 try assists, 136 tackle breaks, 15 linebreaks, 184 metres per game
Another amazing season for the Roosters and NSW captain, who had to take on plenty of responsibilty with so many big names sidelined.
Tedesco had more tackle breaks than any fullback in the competition, and sat only behind Tom Trbojevic for try assists in his position.
While it wasn't as strong of an individual season as we've seen in the past, it's what he Tedesco was able to do for his team that sees him ranked so high.
With five-eighth Luke Keary sidelined with an ACL injury and Victor Radley having a disrupted year, Tedesco stood up as their chief playmaker and did a tremendous job.
1. Tom Trbojevic - Sea Eagles
15 games - 25 tries, 27 try assists, 30 linebreaks, 105 tackle breaks, 221 metres per game
In 15 appearances this year, Trbojevic is going to win the Dally M Medal and had one of the best individual seasons we have ever seen.
Tommy Turbo did just about everything for his side, whether it be scoring tries or setting them up, and single-handedly took them to the top four.
After starting the season in awful form, Trbojevic turned them around once he came back from injury and they are now a genuine threat for the tite,.
There's not much else to say - this bloke is just a freak of nature.
