
Goalkicking is an art in rugby league, the ability to turn four into six is what decides games on the weekly, but who is the best at the practice in Super League?
Super League has been incredibly competitive in 2024 with plenty of one-score or even one-point games, as well as a draw after golden point. Those fine margins of victory and defeat are often decided by goal-kicking meaning that it pays to have an elite kicker.
There have been plenty of players who mastered the art with names such as Andy Farrell, Kevin Sinfield and Paul Deacon all being shouts for the best all time.
Sinfield leads the way statistically with a whopping 1,566 points but he was blessed to be in a team that scored a hell of a lot of tries. Kick percentage and how clinical players are is how this metric will be measured with a minimum of 25 attempts.
Unfortunately for Adam Keighran, that rules him out with the Australian having only kicked 23 in Super League this season as he shares the role with Harry Smith. Despite that, Keighran has impressively kicked 21 of those for a conversion rate of 91%.
Quiz: Can you get these 15 questions about Super League records correct?
Top five goal kickers in Super League this season
T5: Josh Thewlis (Warrington Wolves) – 78% (25/32)

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Josh Thewlis has kicked less than expected given that he plays in a side who have been scoring as freely as Warrington Wolves. That’s because Stfen Ratchford has also taken the tee at times.
Ratchford was the man tasked with kicking when Warrington routed London Broncos with the Wire captain missing the kick to break the world record for the most consecutive conversions.
Nevertheless, Ratchford notched up nine of his 21 successful conversions that game. Now out of the team, Thewlis has taken the mantle and is operating at a high level. Wire’s Round 8 win came courtesy of Thewlis’ boot with both teams having scored three tries.
T5: Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) – 78% (32/41)

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Whilst marginally boasting a lower success percentage than Thewlis, Harry Smith is very similar to the Warrington man in that he operates at the same percentage rate but also has an incredibly talented backup behind him. Whilst Thewlis has Ratchford (21/24), Smith has Keighran (21/23) backing him up.
Smith has split the sticks more often than Thewlis though (a key reason for his higher rating in this list) with Wigan having scored eight more tries than Warrington, despite playing a game less. His kicking was a major issue at times last season but he saw a sharp increase late in the year and kicked admirably for England against Tonga.
He also now is safe in the knowledge that he has an elite backup, something that will no doubt both urge him to improve and also relieve pressure.
3: Rhyse Martin (Leeds Rhin0s) – 85% (35/41)

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When Stefan Ratchford was aiming to break the world record, it was Rhyse Martin’s record that he was aiming to topple. The Papua New Guinean reached 41 and saw his streak end whilst representing his nation at the World Cup in 2022.
Off-contract at the end of the season, goal-kicking is one of many reasons that Leeds Rhinos are aiming to keep Martin in Super League. He’s been reliable for a number of years and at multiple positions.
This season Leeds have seen the second-row and centre positions, Martin’s two specialist positions, both hammered by injury and he’s been splendid cover for both whilst maintaining an elite kick percentage.
2: Arthur Mourgue (Catalans Dragons) – 87% (40/46)

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Mourgue pips Rhyse Martin to earn the second spot and his boot has been more valuable than most with Catalans having only scored 41 tries this season (seventh-most), but Mourge’s ability to turn four into six has seen the club win eight from twelve.
His boot was responsible for eight of the 16 points that Les Dracs scored in their round one win over Warrington Wolves, a game that also saw him grab a try.
Catalans are brilliant game managers and the success rate of Mourgue allows them to have the confidence to turn to him and take the two when required, something that allows them to constantly maintain control and is an undervalued asset.
1: Marc Sneyd (Salford Red Devils) – 93% (39/42)

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An obvious one really. When you think of elite goalkickers in Super League for the best part of the last decade, you think of Marc Sneyd. He’s firmly establishing himself as one of the finest to ever do it and he’s perhaps still improving.
Salford sit sixth in the table and it’s not an exaggeration to say that without Sneyd then they’d be a long way off the playoffs. The Red Devils have won four games this season by a margin of less than six points.
The most recent example of that saw them beat Huddersfield by just two points with Sneyd’s 100% record proving the difference. He’s also tacked on two drop goals for good measure and is closing in on 1,000 successful kicks where he would join an elite club alongside Andy Farrell (1,026), Paul Deacon (1,043), Danny Brough (1,084) and Kevin Sinfield (1,566).
All stats are sourced from the Super League website.
