Ranking the best Super League loose forwards in 2024 as English trio make top 5

After a brilliant 2024 Super League campaign, we’ve looked into the stats to rank our top five loose forwards across the season.

Loose forward or lock is a very interesting position to assess because it is played so differently in so many different teams and eras.

One of Super League’s finest-ever playmakers in Kevin Sinfield played large portions of his career out of the loose forward position, whereas other teams have utilised the position almost like an extra prop.

John Asiata would play the role in the 2023 campaign as an extension of the Leigh Leopards spine, serving as one of their chief playmakers that year. Although, when taking the field in 2024, he was more of the enforcer type.

We’ve picked our top five in the most recent Super League season which was a tough task given the quality at the position.

Top five forwards from the 2024 Super League season

5: Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos)

Smith has seen his name fall out of the conversation to be in the England squad and that’s maybe due to the system that Shaun Wane plays given the Leeds Rhinos man is such a tackle-heavy player. Whilst he can get involved in the playmaking, Smith’s primary role is to be in the engine room and he showed that in 2024 as he topped the tackle count on the season.

4: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves)

Ben Currie deserves huge props for his positional move back to loose forward with the Wire man playing exceptionally in the role under Sam Burgess. In a pack as strong as Warrington’s, Currie still managed to stand out, particularly in the play-offs when he made 54 and 55 tackles against St Helens and Hull KR respectively.

3: Benjamin Garcia (Catalans Dragons)

The Catalans captain is a player who does not get the respect he deserves. He’s very quietly going about an excellent Super League career in terms of performances and 2024 was no different. He made 25 appearances and averaged 33.6 tackles per game.

2: Elliot Minchella (Hull KR)

Next up is the official Super League Dream Team loose forward and truthfully, he was very close to ranking top of our list as well. Minchella made Hull KR tick in 2024 and the stats back that up as well. His 59-tackle and 28-carry performance in the Grand Final was immense in defeat but he just misses out on top spot.

1: Kaide Ellis (Wigan Warriors)

Beating Minchella to top spot is Kaide Ellis who was one of so many brilliant Wigan players this season. The Australian made 25 appearances in 2024 and you’d be hard-pressed to find a single performance where he marked lower than a 7/10. He was the epitome of consistency and a key reason to Wigan’s record-breaking campaign.

Stats sourced from Super League website