The 2022 NRL regular season is done and dusted, with many clubs now looking back and reflecting on their year.
It was a big year for wingers with Alex Johnston breaking records and rocketing up the all-time try-scorers list, while the revival of Corey Oates as one of the best backline stars in the game was something that not many would have forecasted.
Here's our 16-1 rankings for wingers this year across the NRL.
NOTE: This list is solely based on 2022 regular season performances.
16. Mat Feagai
20 games, 10 tries, 19 linebreaks, 72 tackle breaks, 111 run metres per game
One of the rare youngsters who was afforded a sustained run in the side under Anthony Griffin this year. Once he broke into the team in round four, Feagai was a mainstay for the rest of the season.
In his 20 games he notched an impressive 10 tries and had the third-most linebreaks in the competition.
The highlight of his season though was his solo effort in round 25 against the Broncos. Feagai collected an offload from Ben Hunt down the touchline, before embarking on a breathtaking run that saw him beat seven tacklers to score.
15. Dom Young
20 games, 14 tries, 15 linebreaks, 67 tackle breaks, 134 run metres per game
In a dire season for Newcastle, Young was one of the rare bright sparks for Adam O’Brien.
The towering back – who has pledged his allegiance to England for the World Cup – made good on his potential to establish himself as the club’s first-choice winger.
The 21-year-old utilises his big frame to make plenty of yardage, while he is also an accomplished finisher. Young ended the season on a high, scoring five tries in his last three matches.
14. Kyle Feldt
18 games, 11 tries, 14 linebreaks, 46 tackle breaks, 141 run metres per game
The veteran winger didn't enjoy his most individually productive season, but was still a solid contributor to North Queensland's rise up the ladder.
Feldt appeared in 18 games which is his worst return since 2019, where injury restricted him to just 16. Yet when he was out on the right touchline, he chipped in regularly with a four-pointer, while also busting plenty of tackles.
13. Xavier Coates
16 games, 13 tries, 12 linebreaks, 26 tackle breaks, 102 run metres per game
The young Queensland winger - in his first year at the Storm - started like a house on fire. In the first eight rounds, he scored 10 tries and provided four assists.
However, an injury picked up during Origin stopped him in his tracks and since coming back from a nine-match absence, Coates didn't show the same form.
In fact, since round eight he made just three more try contributions as Melbourne suffered back-to-back defeats to end the regular season.
12. Brian To'o
15 games, 8 tries, 9 linebreaks, 61 tackle breaks, 189 run metres per game
After such an incredible performance during the Panthers' run to the premiership last year, To’o couldn't match his heroics. His 17 try contributions from 2021, being cut considerably to just eight this season.
To’o made just 15 appearances in 2022, due to injury, which is his lowest number since debuting in 2019.
When was on the field though, his running game out of the backfield was integral. He repeatedly put his team on the front foot with strong carries - failing to cross the 150m mark just once all season.
11. Sione Katoa
16 games, 14 tries, 17 linebreaks, 73 tackle breaks, 139 run metres per game
Despite having his season curtailed again by injury, Katoa maintained his impressive knack for finding the try line. In fact, in the last six games he scored eight tries as the Sharks embarked on a five-match winning streak.
When Katoa is on the field, he scores four-pointers. However, since breaking into first-grade in 2018 he has failed to make more than 20 appearances in any season.
10. Daniel Tupou
21 games, 15 tries, 18 linebreaks, 67 tackle breaks, 158 run metres per game
It was another successful season for the veteran, with Tupou falling just one try short of breaking his own personal record for most tries in a year.
The 31-year-old was reliable as ever in 2022, featuring in the majority of games, scoring tries and making his metres to help out his forwards. Tupou is one of the best backline players at making post-contact metres, regularly smashing over 50 metres in that metric.
9. Maika Sivo
12 games, 12 tries, 14 linebreaks, 36 tackle breaks, 132 run metres per game
The big Fijian missed the first half of the year due to an ACL injury he sustained in 2021. Many wondered if he’d take a while to warm to the task, but Sivo failed to score in just three matches of the 12 he appeared in during the regular season.
He is a crucial attacking outlet for Parramatta and takes their side to the next level when he's stationed out on that left wing.
8. Murray Taulagi
23 games, 15 tries, 18 linebreaks, 70 tackle breaks, 140 run metres per game
Taulagi had the best year of his career to date, as he basked in the Cowboys' new-found attacking verve.
Often on the end of a looping pass from Scott Drinkwater or a chip from Chad Townsend, Taulagi's finishing ability was on full display in 2022.
His form was rewarded with a call-up to the Queensland Origin side, where he performed admirably on the wing.
7. Selwyn Cobbo
18 games, 15 tries, 17 linebreaks, 98 tackle breaks, 131 run metres per game
It was a whirlwind year for Cobbo which saw him cement his place in the Brisbane side and earn a Queensland call-up off the back of some impressive performances.
The season didn't end as he would have envisioned it with the Broncos failing to make the finals, but that doesn't take away from Cobbo's breakout season.
The middle of the year is where Cobbo really hit his stride, scoring the bulk of his tries in a 10-game stretch that included two hattricks and three doubles.
6. Joseph Suaalii
18 games, 15 tries, 14 linebreaks, 62 tackle breaks, 135 run metres per game
Just how good the teenager can be remains to be seen, but it's fair to say given his exploits in 2022, the sky is the limit for Suaalii.
After playing just five games in 2021 as Trent Robinson eased him into first-grade, the 19-year-old well and truly established himself in the starting side this year.
His spectacular aerial tries were a sight to behold, but his work out of yardage was particularly impressive.
The winger made over 100m in every appearance he made, while his offloading ability really came to the fore in the run home; he got at least one offload away in 10-games straight entering into the finals.
5. Josh Addo-Carr
23 games, 16 tries, 6 try assists, 17 linebreaks, 109 tackle breaks, 129 run metres per game
Addo-Carr could have been forgiven for regretting his choice to make the move to Canterbury. Under Trent Barrett, the Bulldogs won just two games through the first part of the season. Every player was struggling, with Addo-Carr going five matches without scoring a try to open his campaign.
But once the winger got on the scoresheet against South Sydney, the Addo-Carr of old returned. He scored 11 tries in his next eight appearances, with his partnership with Matt Burton becoming the highlight of the Dogs' season.
4. Ronaldo Mulitalo
22 games, 16 tries, 28 linebreaks, 90 tackle breaks, 144 run metres per game
The Kiwi international formed a lethal left-edge partnership with Siosifa Talakai that terrorised many defences throughout 2022.
Mulitalo's competitive streak gets under the skin of his opponent's, but there's no doubting that he has the skills to back up all the talk he does out on the field.
His 28 linebreaks are the second-most in the comp, behind Alex Johnston's 38. Mulitalo's 16 tries puts him in the top five for top-scorers this year.
3. Taylan May
20 games, 16 tries, 18 linebreaks, 97 tackle breaks, 158 run metres per game
May announced himself to the league in round three when he scored a hattrick against the Knights in just the second NRL appearance of his career. This kick-started a golden period for the 21-year-old who went on to score seven tries in his next six matches.
His strong carries at the beginning of sets is also an underrated weapon, with May failing to crack the 100m mark only twice this season- he made 99m on each occasion. He made at least one tackle bust in every match this year.
2. Corey Oates
22 games, 20 tries, 18 linebreaks, 79 tackle breaks, 169 run metres per game
The big Broncos winger had a renaissance in 2022, after being in the wilderness the past few years.
He cracked the 20-try mark for the first time in his career, but his attacking prowess wasn’t the only part of his game that underwent a significant improvement.
His work out of the backfield was the best in the competition for wingers- his big frame allowing him to return the footy and start Brisbane's sets off perfectly.
1. Alex Johnston
23 games, 28 tries, 38 linebreaks, 72 tackle breaks, 121 run metres per game
An elite finisher who has every chance of becoming the greatest try-scorer the game has seen by the time he calls stumps on his career.
Johnston has scored an incredible 81 tries in the last three years- it’s a ridiculous number but illustrates just how deadly the Bunnies are when they sweep to the left and give it their fleet-footed winger.
This season, Johnston scored five doubles and three hattricks on the way to getting his name on the scoresheet in all but six games of his 23 appearances.
