KEY POINTS:
In the salary cap era, signing players is an art form. Michael Brown rates the top five signings of 2007.
1. Wade McKinnon (Warriors)
If his mazy 65m run, when he beat half the Panthers side to touch down, didn't convince you, then consider his jinking no-try
against the Cowboys, or the recent 80m burst against the Dragons.
McKinnon has been in blistering form of late and is a large reason why the Warriors have been travelling well. In fact, the Warriors' fortunes have mirrored McKinnon's.
The 26-year-old jumped out of the blocks at the start of the season, when the Warriors won four out of six, but his suspension for pushing referee Jason Robinson during the Rabbitohs game precipitated a six-game losing streak. They have re-found the winning formula on the back of McKinnon's return to form.
The former Parramatta custodian has a strong fend, good pace, superb instincts and positioning, and knows just when to pop up on the shoulder of one of his forwards for an offload. He might have an issue with keeping his cool but, just like football's Roy Keane or Eric Cantona, it's this hot-headed competitive streak that helps make him the player he is.
Even the statistics confirm his class. He ranks second on kick return metres (1070m), second in tackle breaks (122), second in linebreaks (15), sixth in metres gained 2378m (Steve Price leads with 2936) and 11th equal in offloads (26). He also figured in the top 10 for the Dally M Player of the Year when voting went behind closed doors after round 16.
And let's not forget, he's achieved all of this under the onerous glare of comparisons with the immensely popular Brent Webb.
2. Scott Prince (Titans)
The Gold Coast Titans were supposed to struggle this season. The fact the latest addition to the NRL roadshow flirted with the eight for so long and are still an outside chance of making the playoffs is largely thanks to their halfback Scott Prince.
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett doesn't have many regrets in the game - not that he lets on, anyway - but one of his biggest was losing a young Prince to the Wests Tigers at the end of 2003. Two years later, the boy from Mt Isa guided the Tigers to the NRL title.
He's a masterful conductor, with a great kicking game and an eye for putting a team-mate into a gap. From a Queensland and Australian point of view, he just suffers the misfortune of playing in the same era as Johnathan Thurston.
He leads the NRL in try assists (21) and kicks (208) and ranked second behind Thurston in linebreak assists (12) until a shoulder injury curtailed his season a fortnight ago.
On the other side of the coin, he's also the third-worst tackler in the game, with 69 missed tackles, but his team-mates won't really mind if he keeps laying on the tries when he returns from injury next week.
3. Roy Asotasi (Souths)
At a reported A$400,000-A$450,000 a season, which makes him one of the NRL's biggest earners, Roy Asotasi ought to be good. He is.
The 25-year-old Kiwis captain is rated by many as the best prop in the game and will be a key player in the Souths revolution to take them from perennial cellar dwellers to NRL contenders. They have threatened at times this season but it will take time for them to play consistently well. It's a good job, then, that Asotasi, who won a premiership with the Bulldogs in 2004, signed on for five seasons until the end of 2011.
Three times this year, he's even played the full 80 minutes as he and the likes of Steve Price re-define the way props play the game. He's athletic, strong and powerful on both attack and defence, and has the footwork of someone a fraction of his size. He ranks second behind Price in metres gained this season with 2636m and is fourth on the hitup list with 293.
4. Jamie Soward (Dragons)
Nine weeks ago, Jamie Soward was wondering what his future held. Out of favour and out of sight at the Roosters, a mid-season move to the Dragons has kick-started things for him and the club. It's perhaps still too early to say definitively, but he appears to have the potential to develop into a quality player for the Dragons.
In eight games for Nathan Brown's struggling side, he's scored five tries and kicked 25 goals. In his first outing, against the Broncos, he orchestrated the biggest upset of the season. Five weeks later, he equalled the club's point-scoring record with 22 in the 58-16 mauling of the Raiders.
It's his kicking game, both long and short, that is one of his most impressive attributes and he displayed that a fortnight ago against the Warriors with his chip and chase for a well-taken try.
After being spotted playing touch football by the Roosters in 2002, he was touted as a star for the future. But his chances were fleeting, even though he signed a new contract with them at the start of 2007. Too small, many said. The Dragons don't think so.
Although St George-Illawarra have experienced another difficult year, they have brought through a swagger of talented youngsters. With the likes of Soward on board, they could become a formidable force in the future.
5. Neville Costigan (Raiders)
Neville Costigan is no choir boy. The 22-year-old had his Broncos contract ripped up midway through 2006 for drink-driving and he's ruffled more than a few feathers this season with his aggressive style.
Costigan was accused of headbutting Roosters winger Amos Roberts while shaking hands at the end of their 37-28 defeat of the glamour Sydney club, supposedly as retaliation to a tackle made by Roberts in the final minute of the match. In the same game, he slapped Braith Anasta for which he was cautioned.
It's this aggression, however, that is one of his most prized assets and he's considered one of the game's biggest hitters. He's added a hard edge to a young Raiders pack and has helped them sit just outside the eight when most expected them to be certainties for the wooden spoon.
Queensland coach Mal Meninga also rewarded him with a State of Origin debut in this year's series, and he became an integral part of a "mongrel" forward pack that dominated NSW.
A broken hand picked up in training on the eve of Origin III has put a halt to his season but he's expected back in the next fortnight. The Papua New Guinea-born second-rower has always had talent - he made his NRL debut at 19 and was the Bronocs' Rookie of the Year in 2004 - it's just a matter of not wasting it.
Top flop 2007
Nate Myles (Roosters)
The Roosters sure know how to pick 'em. Firstly there was Braith Anasta, who has finally rid himself the tag of the game's most overrated player after three years. Now Myles is making a pretty good fist of it.
Eight rival clubs might be thanking their lucky stars they missed out on Myles last year. The most sought-after player on the transfer market last season, the 22-year-old prop was disappointing, especially given his lofty A$350,000 salary.
Even in Friday's shock win over the Storm, Myles was an interchange player - and maybe new coach 'Freddy' Fitler can bring out the best in him. He's a serial offender who has reportedly missed or been late to training a number of times this season and received a final warning last month after turning up to training dreadfully hungover.
He was also charged with drink-driving late last year, for which the Roosters dished out a $10,000 fine, 20 hours' community work and forced him to undergo alcohol counselling.
"This wasn't a one-off," former Roosters coach Chris Anderson said after issuing Myles with a formal warning. "His attitude hasn't been right... The players are angry with him and that's how we all felt as well. It's pretty simple, we don't want this type of attitude at the Roosters."
Amazingly, Myles was picked for the Queensland State of Origin side, despite having played only five games all season because of injuries and suspensions. For a player of his supposed power, he's travelled for 100m only twice this season.
He owes it to his club and fans to go the extra mile.
Top great divide
Jamie Lyon(Sea Eagles)
It's a tag no player wants and this year Manly five-eighth Jamie Lyon was awarded the mantle of the game's most overrated player. He won 38 per cent of the vote, taking over from perennial winner Braith Anasta, in the annual survey of 100 players.
Lyon is someone who polarises opinion and many, especially those at the Sea Eagles, think the 'accolade' is harsh. He's not exactly the most popular player since walking out on Parramatta in 2004, and he does play for one of the most hated teams in the NRL (Manly were also named the league's most overrated team). But it's hard to argue with Manly's form this season and he has worked his way back into the Australian and NSW sides since returning from two seasons with St Helens in the UK Super League.