They already touched the ball more than any other player in the team and now the new six-again rule has further increased the influence a hooker can have on the game.

While the fleet-footed dummy half can jump out and expose a lazy defence that is tiring after being forced to defend eight or nine consecutive tackles, it's the old heads and crafty number nines that have dominated the opening rounds of the restarted season.

The wily hooker that can make snap decisions in reading a ruck, the defence behind it and teammates around him have excelled under the new rule. Those that look beyond the running metres on offer following a quick play-the-ball and instead make the high-percentage play are taking over games and producing match-winning performances.

Three players, in particular, have stood out amongst a growing number of top-tier hookers.

The Master

Cameron Smith continues to keep Father Time at bay as he uses 420 games worth of experience to manipulate a defence into giving him what he wants. 

Despite turning 37-years old in June, Smith is almost replicating his best season for try assists (0.69 try assists per game in 2016) to have six in nine games for 0.66 try assists per game. The 51.6 running metres per gameis his most since 2017, too.

But it's Smith's game management and footy IQ that sets him apart.

It's not always glamorous, but the subtlety Smith both plays with and looks for in the defence creates opportunities for others. His long pass stretches the Knights middle here with Ryley Jacks able to straighten and attract Bradman Best into tackling Felise Kaufusi.

Kalyn Ponga spies Melbourne's advantage on the short side and tries to pull Kurt Mann up but the line doesn't completely readjust. Mann takes too long, Best takes the slightest step in and becomes involved with Paul Momirovski, and Smith completes the pass to Suliasi Vunivalu who makes relatively easy work of the scrambling defence.

NRL players recently dethroned Smith as the best player in the game. It had to happen one day...

But he is still the smartest player on the field every time he runs out of the tunnel. The game is slowing down around him at a faster rate than his body is wearing down.

Smith is still the master for now.

The Apprentice

Smith's Storm understudy currently on loan to the West Tigers, Harry Grant, has quickly become one of the best hooker's in the game. You can see the Smith in him with the way he throws long passes to stretch the defence, reads how the defensive line responds, and reacts himself with either a deft touch to a teammate or quick dart himself.

Grant is averaging 85.5 running metres per game this season. He's scored two tries, handed out three try assists and forced two drop-outs along the way. Throw in 2.4 tackle breaks and 50.4 tackles per game, and Grant posts some appealing numbers for somebody that is yet to play his 10th first-grade game. 

His speed out of dummy half is what appeals to most footy fans. Once Grant puts his foot down, he doesn't stop until he's wrestled to the ground. He then produces a quick play-the-ball more often than not.

But like Smith, it's the little things. Josh Aloiai is able to steam onto the ball and earn a quick play-the-ball himself here thanks to the perfect service through Grant's long-ball put right in front of him.

State of Origin hype is already circling the 22-year-old. Tigers fans are also performing mental gymnastics as they put aside any hate for Smith and plead with him to play on so Grant is able to consider an option to stay in Sydney. Wherever Grant ends up for the long-term, he's going to play himself into the conversation as the NRL's best hooker in the not too distant future.

The Comeback

The Manly Warringah-Sea Eagles were happy enough for Apisai Koroisau to move to the Penrith Panthers with Manase Fainu coming up behind him. Fainu, if he can sort out his off-field issues and return to his pre-arrest form, is an excellent young hooker with a long future in the NRL and has already displayed similar traits to Koroisau.

Fainu's play is what kept Koroisau to just 44 minutes per game for the Sea Eagles in 2019. Now the 26-year-old is averaging 77 minutes per game and proving to be a Buy of the Season candidate.

As one of the best-performing dummy halves in 2020, Koroisau plays the perfect style for the sort of game the new six-again rule has created. Markers are finding it more difficult to affect play as the demand for them to raise out of a tackle quickly increases. They have more recently been the focus of referees with any not square now considered a six-again infringement. 

Few hookers have mastered the art of deception quite like Koroisau.

Here he holds up the sliding marker with the double-pump to create a three-on-two situation down the short side.

In this one, he throws the defence with a little shimmy to the left before Liam Martin strolls over untouched.

The 71.2 running metres Koroisau is finding per game in 2020 is a career-high while he's on track to record more try assists this season than he ever has.

Penrith is improving across the board.

Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai are developing a formidable partnership as the attack on both the left and right side of the field continue to improve. The achievements of the halves and outside backs start in the middle of the field as James Fisher-Harris and Isaah Yeo lead one of the best packs in the NRL.

But it's Koroisau commanding the ruck and dominating out of dummy half that is pushing the Panthers closer to premiership contention.

Dummy Half Dominance

The hooker position is flush with talent in 2020.

We've come this far without even mentioning Damien Cook. The Rabbitohs rake is quietly putting together a solid season despite the relative lack of attention going his way. He's averaging 97.3 running metres per gameand looking more dangerous as the season goes on. Once he gets a firm grasp on how defences are adjusting to the six-again rule, Cook will soon return to his 2019 form.

Reed Mahoney just played one of the best games of his 44-game career in Round 9. With Mitchell Moses out and the inexperienced halves pairing of Dylan Brown and Jai Field struggling to end sets, Mahoney took it upon himself to control the team from behind the ruck through an excellent kicking game and timely runs out of dummy half. 

Unseating Jake Granville as the Cowboys starting hooker, Reece Robson has played the full 80 minutes throughout the last five rounds, all but installing himself as North Queensland's number nine of the future. The 22-year-old is still learning when to put his foot down from dummy half but has displayed promising signs to have recorded four tries, two try assists and five line breaks in nine games this season.

Add Ben Hunt who may have unintentionally become a full-time hooker, Jake Friend as he awaits an Origin call up and a promising youngster in Blayke Brailey to the mix and the dummy half position is stacked with talent young and old.

Players and coaches are always finding new ways to expose holes in the rulebook and opposition defences. They've forced one change to the six-again rule already. With what we've seen out of dummy half over the last seven weeks, the hooker position will only cause more havoc as some of the smartest players on the field adjust to the faster game.

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