It took months. We consulted pathways managers, commentators and former players. Still, the debate raged: who is the best Australian athlete – 21 or under – we have? In the end, Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga is our SN50 winner. Check out the full list here.
With rugby league's retirees of recent times amongst the most decorated in memory, 2018 witnessed some of the youngest sides in NRL history.
MORE: How we judged Australia's best young athletes for the SN50 | Kalyn Ponga, and everything we got wrong in SN50 2017
As the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Luke Lewis, Sam Thaiday and Billy Slater hung up the boots, a new generation of NRL greats have already began to rise.
Over here at Sporting News, we’ve named nine league players in our SN50 – our list of Australia’s 50 best athletes, 21 and under – who have completely reset the rookie bar to an all-new level.
Read more about the overall list here.
We ranked these youngsters on current ability relative to their peers, strength of competition, their achievements, as well as their potential future.
And you can’t go any further than Kalyn Ponga.
The 20-year-old became the youngest-ever player to receive the ultimate recognition from his peers when he took out the 2018 Players’ Champion.
After moving from the Cowboys to Newcastle on a lucrative deal in 2018, Ponga was outstanding at fullback and earned his first State of Origin call up for the Maroons.
The Queenslander made his debut off the bench in an injury-ravaged line-up, playing over 50 minutes and produced some of the most intensive periods of any player.
The scary thing is that he’s just getting started.
"I can't remember a young bloke who's ripped the door off the hinges the way Kalyn Ponga has since Sonny Bill Williams or prior to that - the likes of Freddy Fittler, Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde - who really just absolutely took the NRL by storm as teenagers," journo James Hooper said.
"This guy is 20 years old and the way he made his debut in the State of Origin arena this year and just looked as though he belonged."
The only other league player in our SN50 top ten is none other than Roosters star Latrell Mitchell.
The 21-year-old is the most important point-scoring weapon in the league.
NRL statistics show that Mitchell has the highest individual number of points scored for 2018, with 248 to his name.
As well as taking out his first State of Origin title on debut for the Blues, the star centre capped off the year with a try in the 14th minute of the Rooster’s premiership victory.
Coming in at number 14 is Penrith’s Nathan Cleary, whose much sought after talent sparked the coaching tug-a-war over his father Ivan.
Cleary made his NRL debut at the ripe old age of 19 when the Panthers took on Melbourne in June 2016.
The Penrith star finished the 2017 as the highest point scorer in the NRL with a total of 228 points, being the youngest player to achieve this in over a century. He also became the youngest player to ever score 200 points in the same season.
But 2018 has been an even greater year for the 21-year-old who played as halfback in all three Origin matches for the Baby Blues. Not a bad record for a first-timer.
Dubbed as the "best winger in the competition" by his coach Ricky Stuart, Canberra native Nick Cotic comes in as our number 17.
Making his NRL debut and winning Rookie of the Year in 2017, the 20-year-old capped off an even bigger 2018 with a call-up for the Prime Minister’s XIII.
The winger led the NRL in tackle breaks with 149. Expect to see the youngster pushing hard to make his Origin debut for the Blues in 2019.
We’ve placed Rooster’s star Victor Radley at number 21 for his famous post-premiership celebration which involved “beers, beers and more beers!”
But jokes aside, the 20-year-old forward was voted the 2018 Rookie of the Year by his rugby league peers.
Radley is hailed as the Rooster’s only, and historically rare, junior in their 2018 premiership-winning side.
Radley earned the nickname “Victor the Inflictor” in the Roosters’ round nine clash against Manly after he pulled off two try-saving tackles on Martin Taupau and Dylan Walker.
Taking our 33rd spot in the SN50, Jesse Ramien was named standout year at Cronulla had him named as the club’s Rookie of the Year.
The 21-year-old scored 10 tries in 20 games in his breakout season, and his old’s round 11 touchdown against the Bulldogs was voted the Sharks’ try-of-the-year.
The former Junior Kangaroos and NSW under-20s star was recently named in Brad Fittler’s emerging New South Wales Blues side which may see him make his Origin debut in 2019.
Two places behind Ramien sits North Queensland halfback Jake Clifford as our number 35.
The Cowboy’s Rookie of the Year not only earned his NRL debut in 2018 but also finished the season as Thurston’s regular halves partner.
Jonathan Thurston’s legacy is set to live on through the number seven, who spent the last few rounds as the veteran’s halves partner.
“He’s getting a lot of confidence to call the ball,” Thurston said.
"With the players we've got coming through and the players we've got on the sideline, there's going to be a lot of success in the future."
The 20-year-old was rewarded with the chance to partner Daly Cherry-Evans in the Prime Minister’s XIII 40-24 victory over the Junior Kiwis.
Taking over for at five-eighth from Kane Elgey and Bryce Cartwright in round 10, AJ Brimson is set to become the Gold Coast's long-term fullback after a promising short season in the NRL.
Sliding into our SN50 at number 37, the emerging 20-year-old given has Titan coach Garth Brennan a healthy headache as he seems primed to overtake veteran Michael Gordon in the back line.
"We're starting to see AJ develop into the halfback to compliment Ash (Taylor) that we're looking for,” Brennan said.
"He's a special kid. I've stopped being surprised by what AJ dishes up. He's such a competitor and that's what you want in your football team.”
Brimson scored seven tries in his 15 appearances for the Gold Coast and made 229 tackles at 81.6 per cent efficiency.
The last NRL player featured on the list, coming in at 48, is South Sydney’s Cameron Murray.
The 20-year-old forward made his NRL debut in April 2017 and has since gone from strength to strength. This year, the lock became one of the South’s most dangerous weapons and came up with a match deciding play in the tight semi-final clash against St George. Stripping the ball off Illawarra’s Leeson Ah Mau, he gave Adam Reynolds the opportunity to kick the match ending field goal.
’He’s a great kid, he’s got a huge future in the game,’’ Sam Burgess said.
‘’He’s worked extremely hard on his performance and what he can bring to the team.”
Murray played all but two games for the Souths this season - averaging over 40 minutes, 95 metres and 30 tackles per game.
