NRL: Bromwich is creating a storm

Even rivals admit Jesse Bromwich is one of the NRL's standout players. Photo / Getty Images

Jesse Bromwich might be the best prop in the NRL but there's no danger of any hype going to his head.

His form this season was so good, people started to refer to Melbourne's Fab Four, instead of the Big Three usually associated with the club. The 25-year-old often overshadowed the big guns at the Storm with his dominant displays and his peers noticed.

Bromwich was the only forward among five finalists (Johnathan Thurston, Jarryd Hayne, Gareth Widdop and Anthony Milford) for the Players' Association Player of the Year award, voted on by opposition players after each game. The accolade was collected by Thurston for the third time since 2005 but Bromwich's recognition showed how far he had come.

"Jesse [Bromwich] is probably one of the standout players in the competition," Sam Burgess said earlier this year. "Sometimes he doesn't get the accolades he deserves. He's probably one of the best front-rowers in the comp."

Former Warriors captain Steve Price agrees: "He's got footwork, size, skill, an offload and a pre-line pass. He's almost become the go-to guy for Melbourne in the forwards."

"He has a real presence on the field and his consistency has gone to a new level this year," said Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney.

It's high praise but Bromwich is unaffected. It's partly his modesty but also because he's in a league outpost. He rarely gets stopped on the street and league is buried among the incessant AFL coverage.

"That's one of the best things about living in Melbourne," Bromwich says. "We are away from all of that. We don't get any of that stuff down here. We don't even get to see many of the games.

"It keeps you grounded. It also helps having Craig [Bellamy] around. He is pretty humble and demands that you are the same. For me, I was doing my job every week and trying to maintain the standards that I started the season with and not get too carried away with myself."

By any measure, Bromwich was outstanding in 2014. He averaged a staggering 144 running metres per game, as well as 28 tackles. At times he came up with Paul Gallen-type numbers - 227m and 26 tackles against the Sharks, 191m and 28 tackles versus the Roosters, 179m and 30 tackles against Dragons. He also produced 46 offloads, almost double his 2013 tally, and made just seven errors across 23 matches.

"I'm still disappointed with the way we went out but, personally, it was the best season I've had by far," Bromwich says. "I took a lot of confidence from the pre-season and that continued into the [campaign]. I wanted to add more to my game and I've done that."

He's close to the complete modern front-rower - tall, strong and athletic - though some feel he lacks the intimidation factor and is not aggressive enough. Price and Kearney disagree.

"Just because someone pulls a face or throws a high shot doesn't make them tougher," says Price. "Jesse is intimidating - there are not too many players that would want to run straight at him."

"He might not have that outward aggression," says Kearney. "But I know the answer you will get if you ask anybody who has played with him or against him."

The final layer might be leadership. He was the only Storm player in the Kiwis World Cup squad and a little in awe of many of his team-mates but, by this year's Anzac test, knew things had to change.

"With so many young guys in the forwards, I had to take more of a leadership role. I'm still pretty quiet but I try to lead and set an example - more with my actions."

He was a strong presence during the week and came to the fore during the match, when the young Kiwis team pushed the Kangaroos. They led 18-12 after 50 minutes before the customary Australian comeback.

"It was the closest I have felt to beating them," Bromwich says. "We are getting closer but we know what we have to do. You have to go for 80 minutes. You hear that every week but it's especially true against the Australians as they never stop."