Who are the greatest NRL finals players of all-time? We have the 10 best to ever grace a premiership field.
10
Izack Tago (Penrith)
Penrith centre Izack Tago is one of only two players (with Balmain’s Pat Devery) to turn out in nine finals and never lose. Tago played his first final back in 2022 when the Panthers rolled the Eels 27-8. He went on to play in the winning Grand Final that year and then again in 2023 and 2024.
9
Billy Slater (Melbourne)
Iconic Melbourne Storm fullback Billy Slater had a sensational career and that did not abate in the finals. Slater won 22 of his 32 finals, playing in seven Grand Finals and winning four of them. His 23 finals tries is a finals record while his four-try haul in the 2009 qualifying final against Manly was one of just three four-try hauls in the NRL era.
8
Glenn Lazarus (Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne)
No player has had the finals impact on three separate clubs that Glenn Lazarus did. The hulking international prop won five premierships and did so with three teams. Not only did he lift the premiership trophy with three separate sides but he was a centrepiece for the inaugural premierships of the Raiders, Broncos and Storm. Lazarus won 20 of his 28 finals.
7
Johnny Raper (St George)
Immortal Johnny Raper is one of just two players along with teammate Eddie Lumsden to have won 17 or more final and won over 80% of them. Raper joined the Saints in 1959 and won premierships in his first eight seasons. Raper won his first eight finals and 16 of his first 17 on his way to forging a career as one of the greatest to ever play.
6
Mick Cronin (Parramatta)
Over an incredible decade, star Parramatta centre Mick Cronin played in six Grand Finals – the first six the Eels played in – winning four of those. It was often on Cronin’s boot that the Eels succeeded, including his two goals in the 4-2 Grand Final win of 1986. There was only a single year during his career that he did not play finals football while he remains fourth on the list of finals pointscorers nearly 40 years after retiring.
5
Nathan Cleary (Penrith)
Nathan Cleary’s final career is a long way from over yet he has alreay soldified himself as a Top 5 finals player. Cleary has built an incredible finals record with 13 wins in 18 inals matches including 13 straight and counting from 2021. Few will forget his remakable final 20 minutes in the 2023 Grand Final against Brisbane that gave the Panthers three straight titles, which was extended to four a year later. He is one of just three players with 200-plus finals points.
4
Dylan Edwards (Penrith)
Penrith custodian Dylan Edwards often plays second fiddle at the Panthers to Nathan Cleary but his exceptional finals record cannot be denied with 14 finals wins in 16 games, one of just three players in finals history to win at least 15 games and lose only two. Edwards has gone 16-2 in finals games with a Clive Churchill Medal in the 2022 decider testament to his big-game capabilities.
3
Cameron Smith (Melbourne)
Smith’s list of finals records is as long as it is impressive. His 28 finals wins is the most in history and seven more than any non-Storm player. His 248 finals points makes him one of just three players to score 200-plus points in finals games. Smith played in seven Grand Finals, winning five of them.
2
Norm Provan (St George)
‘Sticks’ was such an icon of St George and Rugby League that he remains a central part of the game with his image adorning the premiership trophy since 1982. Provan won a record 10 straight premierships with the all-conquering Dragons team of the 1950s and ‘60s. Provan won a remarkable 21 of his last 29 finals, including 19 of his last 21. His longevity is worth noting too with the big second rower playing his first final in 1951 and his last in 1965.
1
Cooper Cronk (Melbourne)
Cooper Cronk built his reputation at the Melbourne Storm but elevated himself above decorated teammates Cam Smith and Billy Slater as a finals performer with his stunning two-season epilogue at the Sydney Roosters that delivered back-to-back premierships to the Tricolours. Cronk went 27-11 during a stellar fnals career making him one of just two players to turn out in 35 finals games. The talented halfback played in nine Grand Finals including over the last four years of his career.
