NRL 2023 Team of the Month for April
Last updated: May 3, 2023, 11:50PM | Published: May 3, 2023, 6:11AM
With plenty of movement on the ladder in April, the 2023 NRL season has been one of the closest in recent history. But even despite this evenness, there are always stars that stand out.
For each game of the NRL season, our data model rates every player's game, utilising stats and not opinion to figure out the best NRL players right now.
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How is the Stats Insider NRL Team of the Month Selected?
Based on Stats Insider’s NRL Player Ratings, a player’s game by game ratings (when named to start in each position) are added together for the relevant month. The players with the highest overall rating in each position are then selected in the Team of the Month.
Outside of players named to start on the interchange bench, players are only eligible to score in the position they were named to start the match. Halves are also grouped into a single position for selection purposes.
Please Note: With the return of weekly byes in 2023, not every NRL team will play an equal amount of games in a particular month. So if you’re wondering why someone you think has had a cracking month missed out on selection, it may be due to them having played less games than the players they are competing against.
Best NRL Players for April 2023
Latrell Mitchell
Ronaldo Mulitalo
Campbell Graham
Siosifa Talakai
Tautau Moga
Cody Walker
Nathan Cleary
Payne Haas
Blayke Brailey
Addin Fonua-Blake
David Fifita
Egan Butcher
Isaah Yeo
Ordered by position and not ability.
1. Latrell Mitchell
The Rabbitohs’ superstar fullback has had an explosive month of football, guiding his side to four wins straight. Mitchell dominated the Bulldogs with a hat trick, and led South Sydney to a colossal comeback over the Panthers in Round 8with two tries, totalling eight overall in April.
TOO STRONG. TOO GOOD 😤#NRLRabbitohsPanthers pic.twitter.com/4uBoC4fDFP
— NRL (@NRL) April 20, 2023
He’s been near impossible to defend, also registering 12 tackle breaks against the Panthers in a best on performance. After a relatively quiet start for his standards in 2023, Mitchell is well and truly at his best again.
2. Ronaldo Mulitalo
Mulitalo earns our first wing spot even despite Cronulla’s bye in Round 6. The Sharks have also been in brilliant form across April, currently sitting on a three win streak, with the 23-year-old having added five tries in that time.
The winger’s pace has been a massive issue for the opposition, particularly killing the Bulldogs along their right edge with 204 run metres, 54 post contact metres and three line breaks.
3. Campbell Graham
The Rabbitohs’ backs have been some of the best in the league so far this season, and Campbell Graham has been no exception. The highlight of his month has been his eight tries, including two hat-tricks against the Bulldogs and Broncos.
Campbell Graham scores a hat-trick in 10-minutes!#NRLBulldogsRabbitohs pic.twitter.com/CzFxKeZkV6
— NRL (@NRL) April 7, 2023
Graham has taken on more opportunity in covering ground, averaging a career-high 145 metres. He’s also getting more involved in scoring plays, having already racked up both 11 tries and try assists.
4. Siosifa Talakai
A little wrecking ball on the left edge, Talakai has been on the end of some brilliant plays for the Sharks across April. He’s managed six try assists in that time (and has already equalled his career-high nine in a season), including three against the Warriors in an absolute nail-biter.
Kennedy 👉 Talakai 👉 Mulitalo 👊#NRLSharksWarriors pic.twitter.com/USfGFnVDBx
— NRL (@NRL) April 2, 2023
5. Tautau Moga
A bright spot in another struggling season for the Dragons, it may be a surprise to see Moga in the Team of the Month considering he’s played just the two games. But with five tries in just those couple of outings, the veteran was hard to ignore.
Great hands from Tautau Moga 🙌#NRLRoostersDragons pic.twitter.com/BoGWsf4cC1
— NRL (@NRL) April 25, 2023
He’ll be unlikely to feature for much of the rest of the season, after suffering a suspected AC joint injury in the Anzac Day loss to the Roosters.
6. Cody Walker
The Rabbitohs have dominated this month’s team, with veteran Cody Walker partnering with Nathan Cleary in the halves for April. A consistent tryscorer, he’s brought just that again across the past month, only failing to get over the line against the Panthers.
Dictating the play to an elite level, Walker has also m anaged a massive nine try assists over his past four games. His kicking game has also been as sharp as ever, managing 254 and 291 kicking metres against the Dolphins and Broncos.
7. Nathan Cleary
Cleary’s influence in the halves has been as strong as ever, dictating attacking plays from dummy-half and running the ball himself when required. He’s averaging a career-high 119 run metres, including a massive 185 against Manly.
The Panthers captain has been just as solid defensively, with try-saving tackles at the death against both the Knights and Rabbitohs.
Superstar Nicho Hynes also deserves a shout-out, likely earning this position had the Sharks not had their bye in Round 6.
8. Payne Haas
One of three players to feature in both Teams of the Month so far, Payne Haas has continued doing what he does best; laying bone-crunching tackles, and refusing to be taken to ground.
Far and away the best front rower of 2023 so far, Haas has incredibly hard to take down across the last month. With 593 post-contact metres, the most in the NRL, and the second most offloads, he currently leads the Dally M tally, but it's important to note he'll have points deducted due to his suspension.
Nicho Hynes moves into equal third on the Dally M leaderboard after a starring performance in Round 9! 🏅
— NRL (@NRL) May 1, 2023
Details: https://t.co/32JyavWZrA pic.twitter.com/mKXaTEVsE4
9. Blayke Brailey
Blayke Brailey is the man the Sharks want the ball in the hands of, and it’s no surprise that his brilliant form has coincided with his side winning their last three straight. The likes of Nicho Hynes and Mulitalo have benefited greatly from his strong vision and playmaking.
The 24-year-old is continuing to rise, also tackling at a 92.6% efficiency and getting over the line in the win over the Roosters.
10. Addin Fonua-Blake
Retaining his spot in the Team of the Month, Fonua-Blake joins Haas as our hookers of the month. The 27-year-old has been thriving in his role as an impact player in the Warriors’ forward pack.
He’s managed two tries across April, both in the win over the Cowboys and the loss to the Storm. Fonua-Blake has been unbreakable defensively, with a 96.2% tackle efficiency, while taking plenty of ground with 149 running metres per game.
11. David Fifita
Fifita earns his second Team of the Month selection as our top second rower in the league, still continuing to own the left edge for the Titans. He managed his first try of the season in the win over Manly.
Match Highlights 🎥: #NRLManlyTitans
— NRL (@NRL) April 29, 2023
Gold Coast players vowed not to blow another halftime lead as they overcame the loss of star fullback AJ Brimson to stun the Sea Eagles 26-10. pic.twitter.com/5ZFfW8yyrr
The 23-year-old has only missed seven tackles across the month, managing a second 100% tackle completion for the season against the Dolphins, also running 192 metres.
12. Egan Butcher
Butcher joins Fifita in the second row, with the youngster quickly becoming a pillar of the Roosters’ forward pack. His tackle completion has been particularly impressive, currently averaging a 92.8% tackle efficiency.
Cronulla’s Briton Nikora was a very close contender for the other second row position, but the Sharks’ bye keeps him just shy of the Team of the Month.
13. Isaah Yeo
It has been an up and down month for the Panthers, with both last-gasp wins and heartbreaking losses, but Isaah Yeo has led valiantly alongside co-captain Nathan Cleary. He’s duly earned selection at lock in the April Team of the Month.
One of the hit up kings of the league, over half of his running metres have been hit up running metres in every game except the big win over the Sea Eagles. Yeo has led the forward pack valiantly, and will be hoping to quickly move past a poor loss to the Tigers in Round 9.
