What a season it has been for Campese and Co, writes Adrian Proszenko.

THE BACKS

CANBERRA almost let Terry Campese slip through their fingers. Twice.

The first time was two years ago, when the nephew of rugby great David Campese was deep in talks with Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher about switching back to union. "It was something I looked at pretty deeply and I was pretty close to going," revealed Campese, an Australian Schoolboys representative in the 15-man code.

On that occasion Raiders officials only extended his contract at the urging of coaches David Furner and Andrew McFadden, who saw something in the big five-eighth.

And it almost happened again a couple of months ago, the Raiders only re-signing Campese (pictured) after rival clubs, including Melbourne, started circling.

It turned out to be a very prudent decision. Because ever since he put pen to paper, the 24-year-old has been an absolute revelation. So much so that Campese just pipped Billy Slater to earn The Sun-Herald's player of the year title.

We commissioned Sportsdata to review all the key stats, position by position, to name our finest 13 for the year. And not only did Campese edge out higher-profile pivots Greg Inglis, Darren Lockyer, Braith Anasta, Feleti Mateo, Jamie Lyon and Benji Marshall to make the star-studded side, statistically he was the best performer in the game.

"After running the numbers over the competition we couldn't go past Terry Campese as statistically the player of the year after topping the NRL in line-break assists and being in the top five for try assists," Sportsdata's Luke Bethel said.

"He also chipped in with nine tries and 10 line breaks, while also being rock solid in defence, missing just 1.1 tackles per game - the lowest of any of the regular halves in the NRL."

Not bad for a bloke who often doubted whether he was good enough to play first grade.

"When contract negotiations come up and there's not a lot out there, you always wonder if you're good enough to make it," Campese said.

"Talking to my friends and family, they felt I had more in me, and that gave me the confidence to fight my way back into first grade.

"My mum always used to tell me I could play better. She's probably the only one that has watched every single game of my life."

What does his mum, his harshest critic and biggest supporter, think of his form now that he is, statistically, the game's best player and a genuine Kangaroos bolter?

"She thinks I'm playing some good football and she's happy," Campese grinned.

The Queanbeyan junior is pleased to have finally resolved his future, having signed a two-year deal worth less than $300,000. However, the prospect of switching back to rugby is likely to come up again the next time he is on the open market.

"I'm still only young, so you couldn't say never," he said. "It depends on how I feel over the next few years and where I see my future at. I thought my uncle would be the one who would say, 'you should play union,' but he always told me to do what makes me happy. League is the thing that makes me happy for the moment."

There were a couple of other surprises in our back line of the year.

While Greg Inglis is arguably the NRL's best player, statistically his numbers didn't stack up compared with fellow five-eighth Campese.

Nor was there any room for him anywhere else in our side, with Penrith's Michael Jennings and Israel Folau making up our centres pairing. Colin Best scored a wing berth due to his 16 line breaks - the most for that position - while Jason Nightingale's try-scoring feats couldn't be ignored. And Kurt Gidley would have been the first back chosen on our bench, his versatility and his involvement from the back making him another unlucky omission.

Injuries conspired against the claims of star playmakers Scott Prince, Johnathan Thurston and Lockyer.

THE BOLTER

YOU know you've picked a cracking team when only five players from the State of Origin decider are good enough to make it.

Only Paul Gallen, Israel Folau, Cameron Smith, Petero Civoniceva and Billy Slater racked up numbers impressive enough to make The Sun-Herald's team of the year.

And while the name Chris Heighington isn't mentioned in the same breath as the above superstars - at least not yet - there's no doubt he deserves his place in the second row.

Part of a lightweight Wests Tigers pack which struggled for metres all year, Heighington has barged forward for 3000m of his own, more than any other forward.

To put that into perspective, the only player to run for more than 4000m is Warriors warhorse Steve Price, the winner of our inaugural player of the year title in 2007.

Throw in the fact that Heighington plays just about every minute and racks up 32 tackles a game to boot, and you can understand why the underrated Tiger will come into calculations for NSW selection next year.

THE FORWARDS

YOU can break down Paul Gallen's season with any number of stats.

Three dumb Origin penalties. One alleged squirrel grip. One horrific facial massage. Countless calls to be stripped of the captaincy.

But if we're going to reel off the list of numbers that make up Gallen's season, it would be remiss of us not to mention the good stuff as well. Like the 19.5 runs he averages every game, more than any other forward. Or his average metres, all 161.5 of them. Or the fact that he has left 51 would-be tacklers in his wake. Or that fact that he plays just about every minute of every match.

In fact, the numbers suggest that the Cronulla back-rower is the best forward in the game.

Not that he is everybody's cup of tea. In The Sun-Herald's player poll this year he was voted the game's most annoying niggler. Not that he gives a damn.

"That just comes with the job," Gallen (pictured) said of the seemingly constant criticism.

"I remember growing up as a kid and sitting on the hill, seeing signs like 'Wally's a wanker', guys bagging Wally Lewis. We all know what a great player he was.

"It comes with the territory. As far as other players and other clubs, if they're talking about me I must be doing something right."

Gallen's passion is both his strength and his curse. He wants to win. At any cost.

"It's my job to lead by example and I try to get in there and do as much as I can," he said. "[Cronulla coach] Ricky Stuart has said that, at times, that can be my downfall; he thinks I try to beat teams on my own sometimes. It's probably true. It's the way I am, I suppose."

While he rubs some people the wrong way, Gallen commands a grudging respect. The same batch of players that voted him the biggest pest in the game rated him its fourth toughest hombre.

"I've had a very controversial year but my on-field performances have been good," the 27-year-old said.

"I seem to be in the paper a bit, not always for the right thing, but my footy is going good and we're at the top of the comp.

"Maybe it's the profile I've got, I always seem to attract controversy.

"Every time I do something slightly wrong, even give away a penalty, these days I'm jumped on a little bit. That's the way it is."

When he tried to rip out the stitches from Anthony Laffranchi's face, even diehard Sharks fans were aghast. Sydney Morning Herald columnist Paul Sheehan called for the Blues forward to be locked up.

Surely the line between hard play and fair play had been crossed? Is winning really everything?

"I go out there and do everything I can to win," Gallen said.

"We're not there to make friends; our job is to win.

"I don't know where the problem is, the way I do it.

"I do my best to win the game and at the end of the day, that's what I've got to do.

"If I don't do it I'll probably get dropped and not get paid. That's what we've got to do to get the job done."

Other forwards who have got the job done this season are Jason Ryles, Petero Civoniceva, Cam Smith, Chris Heighington and Feleti Mateo, even though the latter spent more time at five-eighth than locking a scrum. All deserve selection in our forward pack of the year. If your team's halves can't play behind that pack, they can't play.