NRL 2023 Team of the Month for March
Last updated: Apr 11, 2023, 12:54AM | Published: Apr 6, 2023, 6:06AM
The opening month of the 2023 NRL season has kicked off the competition with a bang. New favourites have been firming already, and the stars have made their impact known.
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.
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.
So, who cracks it this month?
Best NRL Players for March 2023
Reece Walsh
Jamayne Isaako
Herbie Farnworth
Kotoni Staggs
Jacob Kiraz
Shaun Johnson
Adam Reynolds
Payne Haas
Harry Grant
Addin Fonua-Blake
David Fifita
Keaon Koloamatangi
Patrick Carrigan
Ordered by position and not ability.
1. Reece Walsh
In just his third NRL season, 20-year-old Reece Walsh is making his case for State of Origin selection after his first five games. In the coveted position of fullback, he's been selected in our team of the month after starring for the undefeated Broncos.
The glimpses of brilliance he showed for the Warriors have evolved into pure star power in Queensland. Walsh has contributed either a try or a try assist in all four of his games so far this season. He’s currently tied for first in the Dally M Medal voting - this kid is seriously good.
The stats back Walsh up; he’s ranked equal first for try assists with six and outright first for linebreak assists with nine. The star youngster is bringing excitement and electricity, two traits the Broncos have missed for a long time.
A Reece Walsh masterclass đź‘Ź#NRLBroncosCowboys pic.twitter.com/x4dmuDL50X
— NRL (@NRL) March 13, 2023
2. Jamayne Isaako
The NRL’s leading point-scorer after five rounds, the Dolphins’ Jamayne Isaako earns the first of our wing spots. He’s another player that seems to have benefited greatly from switching sides, having already overtaken his 42 points from last season and is on track for a career-best year.
But Isaako isn’t just converting goals; he’s also getting over the line himself. The 26-year-old has five tries to his name already, scoring two on two separate occasions.
Starring for his third NRL team, Jamayne Isaako makes our NRL 2023 team of the month.
MORE: NRL Premiership Probabilities
3. Herbie Farnworth
At centre is the Broncos’ Herbie Farnworth, who has been an offensive menace to every team he’s faced so far. He’s scored three tries and provided two try assists as just one of the many attacking threats at Kevin Walters’ disposal.
The combination of Farnworth’s speed and strength has made him hard to deal with when he gets on a run. He’s currently averaging the fifth most run metres of any player, with 182 per game.
4. Kotoni Staggs
The undefeated Broncos feature heavily in our Team of the Month, with Staggs teaming up with fellow centre Farnworth. Staggs has been a huge scoring threat and is currently the equal-leading try scorer with six.
The 24-year-old starred in the win over the Dragons, recording two tries, a try assist, a linebreak, and five tackle breaks. After missing a lot of football across the past few years due to injury, the boom-or-bust Staggs is delivering a stellar 2023 so far for the Broncos.
5. Jacob Kiraz
At just 21 years old, Jacob Kiraz has been one of the breakout stars of 2023 for the Bulldogs. He had already shown immense talent last season, but he’s rising even further now.
Kiraz has been one of the most deadly offensive weapons any team could ask for. He is well above average in a number of stats, and has been one of the key players for the Bulldogs after an influx of players throughout the off-season.
The youngster is leading the league in total runs (118), run metres (1105), and offloads (18). Kiraz is also ranked third for post-contact metres (333) and tackle breaks (29).
6. Shaun Johnson
How good is it to see Shaun Johnson once again lighting up the NRL in 2023!
While he may no longer be the same fleet-footed player he was earlier in his career, the new SJ has been instrumental in leading an impressive Warriors team around the park this season, racking up a league-second 2740 kick metres along the way.
With two tries and four try assists to his name, Johnson has also played a massive role in the Warriors attack on their way to sitting second on the NRL ladder after five rounds.
Nailing a clutch game-winning penalty goal in the pouring rain during a monumental comeback against the Sharks during Round 5 may be a moment that sticks in the Rugby League highlight reels for some time. Johnson has had a massive start to the season, and our model agrees, naming Shaun Johnson the Player of the Month for March 2023.
MORE: NRL Try Location Analysis
7. Adam Reynolds
Our Broncos-heavy team gets another member, with skipper Adam Reynolds joining our ranks. His kicking game has been as strong as ever, and he’s making each one count with 45 attacking kicks and five forced drop outs.
Much like his halves partner in our Team of the Month, Reynolds is gaining massive ground by foot. He’s averaging 397 kicking metres per game, the second highest of his career behind only 2022.
8. Payne Haas
Having amassed an equal-first 16 Dally M votes alongside teammate Reece Walsh, Payne Haas earns one of our prop selections. The 23-year-old has started the season in scintillating fashion and looks likely to back up his selection in the 2022 Team of the Year.
Haas is absolutely dominating a number of offensive stats, including being first for post-contact metres (396) and third for offloads (13) and run metres (930).
A player as big as Haas who runs as much as he does is going to be a nightmare for any opponent on their best day, and now he has a team capable of seriously contending around him.
Payne Haas is THAT GUY.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 1, 2023
That is all...
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9. Harry Grant
Currently equal first in the Dally M voting, Grant has gotten off to a blistering start in 2023. Despite the Melbourne Storm still missing a number of important players, he’s helped keep them on track with a 3-2 record.
Our top choice hooker in the competition, the 25-year-old has been a force both offensively and defensively. Grant has contributed a try and four try assists to the Storm so far, scoring in the opening win over the Eels. He contributed three of those assists against the Titans, earning himself a Dally M Medal vote in the process.
He’s completing his tackles at a 92.2% efficiency, and is averaging 75 running metres. Grant has also taken his kicking game to the next level, averaging 119.6 kicking metres per game - nearly double his 2022 average.
HARRY. GRANT.@GrilldBurgers Try of the Week! pic.twitter.com/JeVgGlVdjo
— Melbourne Storm (@storm) March 3, 2023
10. Addin Fonua-Blake
New Zealand fans would be pumped with their start to the season, and Addin Fonua-Blake has played a huge part in that.
He recently has committed to the club long-term, and his strong start in the opening rounds earns him our second prop position in the Team of the Month.
Defensively, Fonua-Blake has been a wall that very few can break through. He’s currently completing tackles at a 96.2% success rate, higher than the likes of Harry Grant (92.2%) and Reece Robson (94.4%).
The 27-year-old has also had his moments offensively, getting over the line against the Roosters in Round 2.
MORE: NRL Tips For This Weekend, Round 6, 2023
11. David Fifita
David Fifita shores up our second row, having started the season fantastically both offensively and defensively. He’s currently averaging a career-high 157 running metres, which included 206 against the Tigers along with 67 post-contact metres.
He’s been incredibly sound when it comes to killing opposition plays, completing 91.3% of his tackles. Fifita didn’t miss a single tackle in the big upset win over the Storm, in a game where tries were traded back and forth.
12. Keaon Koloamatangi
While it hasn’t been the start to 2023 the Rabbitohs may have envisaged, Keaon Koloamatangi has been consistently playing like one of the best second rowers in the league.
The results may not have been falling their way, the 24-year-old is performing despite that. He’s gotten over the line twice, in two brilliant showings against the Sharks and Roosters.
Koloamatangi has also been successfully utilised in the front row, shifting to prop against the Sea Eagles. He’s shown off his smarts with his brilliant runs and his strength on defence, completing 93% of his tackles.
13. Patrick Carrigan
Carrigan is the sixth and final Bronco named in our Team of the Month, a credit to just how dominant the only undefeated side in the NRL has been.
Another player who’ll be sticking around Brisbane long-term, Carrigan has carried the form that saw him win the 2022 Wally Lewis Medal into this season.
He has the fifth most post-contact metres of any player in 2023 with 318, and is completing tackles with a 95.7% efficiency. Carrigan deservedly earns his spot at lock in our March Team of the Month.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
