The players in the running to be crowned Group Seven's best in 2023

It's no surprise many players in the running to take home the Michael Cronin Medal for first-grade player of the year come from the Gerringong Lions, Stingrays of Shellharbour and Shellharbour Sharks, clubs still in the running to win the title.

The Lions booked their spot in the decider after downing the Stingrays 32-22 on Sunday.

The winner of the Stingrays v Sharks clash this Saturday will take on Gerringong in the grand final on September 17.

There have been a number of great performances by players over the 18-week competition and subsequent finals.

The leaderboard for the Michael Cronin Medal after round 10 showed:

Read more: Group Seven's top pointscorers and tryscorers revealed

This reporter has seen some impressive displays in season 2023.

A number of players on the list above are included in a list compiled by the Mercury of players deemed not just the competition's best, but also the most crucial to their respective team's success.

James Ralphs: The Shellharbour Sharks skipper is a true leader in every sense of the word. Ralphs rolls up his sleeves in defence when needed but it's in attack where he does his best work for the Sharks. The talented edge second-rower barged over for 11 tries this season and created many more opportunities for his team. He was instrumental in the Sharks' 11-game winning run and it's no surprise the Abed Atallah-coached side missing Ralphs (HIA) struggled against Gerringong in the first week of the finals.

Tom Warner: The Stingrays inspirational player/coach is the heart and soul of the club. Warner is an 80-minute player who always shows up for his team and often comes up with the big plays when the Stingrays are in trouble. The Rays don't lose too often when Warner is on song.

Colby Smith: The livewire Stingrays rake may be unheralded but Smith is the man who gets the Stingrays offence ticking over. The clever dummy-half is always exploiting tired forwards and making plenty of yards up the middle. His darting runs and clever ball-work were instrumental in guiding the Stingrays to the minor-premiership. The Stingrays attack suffered on Sunday against Geringong after Smith hobbled off with an ankle injury.

Nathan Ford: Most would agree that the Gerringong Lions experienced hooker has been amongst one of Group Seven's best players for a number of years. Ford has never won the Michael Cronin Medal but his value to the Lions is immense. He is the heart and soul of the perennial heavyweights. Ford is the glue which keeps the Lions machine roaring.

Jake Taylor: There's not much the talented Taylor can't do. The Gerringong second-rower scores tries, defends like a beast and kicks goals from all parts of the field. He is also a big-game player, as shown in his performance against the Shellharbour Sharks, where he produced a deft kick to set up a try and generally led his undermanned side to a gritty victory.

Read more: Gerringong spoil Stingrays' party to book grand final berth

Taj Ford: He may be young but the silky Gerringong five-eighth plays beyond his years. Injury midway through the season cut short his 2023 but since returning late in the season Ford has been nothing short of brilliant. His partnership with the experienced Rixon Russell is perhaps the best halves combination in the league.

Adam Quinlan: The experienced Nowra-Bomaderry player/coach had an exceptional season guiding his Jets into the finals for the first time in a long time. Quinlan had a lot of experienced and talented players at his disposal but he was constantly one of his team's best performers week-in week-out.

Clyde Parsons: Big things were expected and delivered by former NRL stars Dylan Farrell and Adam Quinlan. But it was the unheralded Clyde Parsons who perhaps shone the brightest for Nowra. The halfback capped his brilliant campaign by finishing the regular season as the leading pointscorer in the Group Seven rugby league first-grade competition.

Justin Jones: It was a disappointing season for Warilla-Lake South Gorillas but their talented fullback Jones had another stellar season, joining Nowra winger Beau Luland in finishing the regular season as the competition's joint top tryscorers, with 16 tries each.

Wesley Pring: The Group Seven competition is littered with talented fullbacks, but Pring's form, especially in the latter half of the season for Gerringong, has been nothing short of outstanding. Pring has speed to burn, as shown in his three-try showing against the Stingrays on Sunday.

Read more: How Shellharbour's women's Premier League team masterminded the grand final

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