Adam Reynolds needs to step up and deliver what he was brought to the Broncos to do, which is play finals and push for a premiership.
Meanwhile, Josh Schuster has a tall order replacing Kieran Foran when he takes over the Manly five-eighth role under new coach Anthony Seibold.
And Luke Brooks is playing for his Tigers’ future as the club continues to go hard at the playmakers on the open market.
Read on for the NRL playmakers under pressure in 2023.
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LUKE BROOKS (Tigers)
The way Luke Brooks’ career has turned out at the Tigers he is always under pressure because the club hasn’t played finals since he debuted in 2013.
Brooks will be 28 by the time next season kicks off and he is yet to play finals in his 189-game career.
He is also entering the final year of his mega deal with the club that is set to earn him $1 million plus in 2023 and he needs a big season to get re-signed, but it won’t be on anywhere near that price tag.
The fact the club let Jackson Hastings go and are in the market for Mitchell Moses means that Brooks needs to start producing or he could be on his way out of the club.
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ANTHONY MILFORD (Dolphins)
The Dolphins’ recruit didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his return to the NRL with the Knights after his $1 million a season deal with the Broncos wasn’t renewed and his deal with Souths wasn’t registered.
Milford has scored 70 tries in 206 NRL games, but hasn’t played over 13 games in a season since 2019 at the Broncos and has scored just three tries in the three seasons since.
The five-eighth’s form has been in decline since he lead the Broncos to the 2015 title and there are doubts around his commitment to get back to those heights.
Milford turn 29 next year and after signing a two-year deal, the clock is ticking if he doesn’t want this to be his last contract in the NRL.
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SHAUN JOHNSON (Warriors)
Shaun Johnson is coming off a poor first season since returning to the Warriors and there were calls for him to retire after he looked disinterested at times in 2022.
Johnson turns 33 next season and entering the final year of his deal, he needs a big 2023 campaign to prolong his career.
Te Maire Martin is a big pick-up for the Warriors and should take some pressure off Johnson, but they are still in desperate need of a halfback who can control proceedings in attack and with his kicking game.
After 72 tries and 1,222 points in 227 NRL games and 32 Tests for New Zealand, 2023 might be Johnson’s swan song in the NRL unless he can have a massive turnaround in form.
KYLE FLANAGAN (Bulldogs)
The Bulldogs don’t have many options at halfback to challenge Kyle Flanagan, but they will be going hard for players on the open market to replace him at No.7.
Flanagan is entering the final year of his three-year deal with the Bulldogs and has been dropped and shopped around during a rocky tenure at Belmore to date.
The 24-year-old has scored 10 tries and 304 points in 62 NRL games and is approaching the age where halfbacks start to hit their straps in first grade, so now is the time to stand up.
The Bulldogs are set to make a play for Mitchell Moses, so unless Flanagan can have a dramatic rise in performance, 2023 could be his last season at Canterbury.
AJ BRIMSON (Titans)
Much was expected of AJ Brimson last season, but his switch to the halves to accommodate Jayden campbell at fullback failed to fire and he returned to the No.1 role late in the season.
Brimson is signed to the Titans on a monster long-term deal and the club didn’t get a great return on their investment in 2022, as he struggled with the extra playmaking responsibilities.
It remains to be seen if Brimson will play fullback or five-eighth next season, but if it is the latter he needs to create more try-scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates.
Brimson turns 25 next season and with 34 tries in 85 NRL games now is the time to stand up and deliver on the promise that saw him play three Origins for Queensland in 2020 and 2021.
ADAM DOUEIHI (Tigers)
Adam Doueihi played just 11 games last season due to a long-term injury and his form was patchy at the back end of the year, as the Tigers picked up the wooden spoon.
Jackson Hastings has been moved on, but the Tigers have gone after Cameron Munster without success and are targeting Mitchell Moses, so Doueihi’s position is far from safe.
The 24-year-old has scored 19 tries in 81 NRL games and has set a price of $900,000 on his services after taking over his own management, so the pressure will be on him to deliver.
Heading into the final year of his deal, Doueihi needs a big season to convince Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall that he is their long-term solution at five-eighth.
JOSH SCHUSTER (Sea Eagles)
Josh Schuster has some big shoes to fill in Kieran Foran’s when he takes over the five-eighth duties full-time for the first time in his career alongside Daly Cherry-Evans.
The 21-year-old is signed until the end of 2024 and needs a big season to convince new coach Anthony Seibold he is his long-term No.6, after playing most of his NRL career to date in the second row.
Schuster has scored three tries in 35 games and has a big responsibility to turn Manly’s fortunes around, after they lost their last seven games to miss the finals last season.
How Schuster fares in his first full season as a playmaker will have a massive baring on how far Manly can go in their first year under Seibold.
LACHLAN ILIAS (Rabbitohs)
In his first full season of first grade Lachlan Ilias was solid without being spectacular as the Rabbitohs failed to advance to the grand final for the fourth time in five seasons after making the preliminary final.
Souths have a premiership winning squad, but halfback is their big question mark after letting Adam Reynolds go to invest in Ilias on a three-year deal.
The 22-year-old has scored six tries in 27 NRL games and will need a big season to avoid the dreaded second-year syndrome, as teams ramp up the pressure on the young gun in 2023.
Ilias has all the tools to make a very good NRL halfback, but he might be just too early in his development to lead Souths to the title they so desperately want.
TALATAU AMONE (Dragons)
Talatau Amone was solid in his first full year as the Dragons’ No.6 scoring six tries in 24 games last season, but the Dragons still missed the top eight for the second straight year under Anthony Griffin.
Still just 20 years of age, Amone has the potential to be the Dragons’ long-term five-eighth, but the club desperately needs him to fulfil it earlier than expected.
Amone has scored nine tries in 35 NRL games to date and is signed until the end of 2024, so he needs a big season to convince the club he is the answer at No.6.
Amone needs to step up and help take pressure off Ben Hunt because the halfback and skipper can’t do all the playmaking duties on his own, as he did at times last season.
ADAM REYNOLDS (Broncos)
The Broncos’ skipper was brilliant in his first season at Red Hill after signing a three-year, $2.4 million deal, scoring six tries and 146 points, but Brisbane’s late season fade-out will ramp up the pressure on their halfback in 2023.
The Broncos are entering Kevin Walters’ final season of his contract and desperately need to play finals for his tenure to continue and Reynolds is a key part of that, after he brought him to the club.
After scoring 44 tries and 2,042 points in 251 NRL games, everyone knows what Reynolds is capable of, but as he enters the final two years of his deal, it is time to deliver on what he was brought to the club to do and that is lead a young Broncos team deep into the finals.
Reynolds turns 33 next season and if he wants to play into his mid-30s he needs to deliver consistent results for his team and stay injury free to make the Broncos’ investment in his services a wise one.
CODY WALKER (Rabbitohs)
By no means did Cody Walker have a poor season in 2022, but it was nowhere near the heights he reached in Souths’ charge to the 2021 Grand Final the previous season.
Part of that was due to the fact Adam Reynolds left and he had a rookie halfback in Lachlan Ilias beside him, but the club chose to invest in Walker over his former halfback, so the time has come for him to deliver on his own.
Walker turns 33 next season and is entering the final year of his deal, so if he wants to play into his mid-30s he is going to have to convince the club he is worth that investment.
A wizard at his best, Walker has scored 82 tries in 169 NRL games, but he has to lead Souths to a premiership on his own because hoping that Ilias blossoms into the next Reynolds won’t be enough to win Souths the title in 2023.
KIERAN FORAN (Titans)
Given what he has achieved in his career, Kieran Foran has little else to prove, but he is coming to a team that is in desperate need of a playmaker and has been starved of success.
The Titans were one of the real disappointments in 2022 and Foran was brought to the club to give their young playmakers some guidance, but also to help deliver wins and lead the Gold Coast back to the finals.
The 32-year-old has scored 51 tries in 262 NRL games and his two-year deal will likely be his last, so he faces a huge challenge to go out on a high.
Foran has played most of his career alongside Daly Cherry-Evans, but at the Titans he needs to be the No.1 option and lead the team around with his passing and kicking games and the young Titans will look to him to be the main man.
