There are 10 players within four tries in the battle to finish the 2020 Telstra Premiership as the leading try-scorer.

David Nofoaluma, Stephen Crichton, Alex Johnston and Sione Katoa are tied at the top heading into the last month of the regular season, with a host of dangerous attacking players within striking distance.

The likes of Josh Addo-Carr and Brett Morris and Fijian duo Maika Sivo and Mikaele Ravalawa are all just one good week away from moving into first place.

So, who do the experts at NRL.com think will finish the year at the top of the standings?

Experts view

Jamie Soward (former Blues five-eighth)

Josh Addo-Carr for me. The left side is cooking at the moment for the Storm and that will continue into the finals. His long-range try last weekend won't be the last.

Storm finish it in style

Steve Renouf (Maroons legend)

My selection is Josh Addo-Carr. He is consistently scoring tries and with Melbourne peaking at the moment this will only continue. He is in red-hot form. Sit back and enjoy.

Paul Suttor (NRL.com editor)

When you first see Sione Katoa dive acrobatically for the corner to score, your first thought is there's no way he got that down but his four-pointers are real and they're spectacular. With the Sharks scoring freely this year, he's well-positioned to top the tally.

Nofoaluma frustrated honesty session was leaked

Mary Konstantopoulos (Ladies Who League)

Alex Johnston will finish the year as the top try scorer in the NRL. Alongside Penrith, South Sydney have the most impressive attack in the competition at the moment and they look like they are just getting started. I expect Souths to go deep into the finals and for Johnston to keep scoring tries. 

Lone Scout (NRL.com Fantasy guru)

With Souths' attack firing on all cylinders, the race is Alex Johnston's to lose at this point. The Rabbitohs have averaged 37 points a game in the past five weeks (the league’s best-attacking team the Roosters have averaged 28 across the season) and with games against frail defensive sides the Tigers and Bulldogs coming up Johnston has the chance to move clear.

Dan Walsh (NRL.com reporter)

Alex Johnston. The loss of Latrell Mitchell makes South Sydney's lethal left edge even more of a focal point, and Johnston should be on the end of it with Corey Allan to get first run as Mitchell's replacement. Scored seven tries from his last four outings, and that's even with missing last week's pummelling of Parramatta.

Brad Walter (NRL.com senior reporter)

Brett Morris. Averaging a try per match, Morris is proving himself to be one of the game's greatest try-scorers this season as he continues to break records. Playing outside the game's top centre, Joey Manu, and with Sonny Bill Williams also likely to be used on the right edge he should add to his tally of 12 tries in 12 matches.

Campbell battles Johnston for try tally

Tanisha Stanton (NRL.com reporter)

Stephen Crichton. The Panthers haven't had any issues this season finding their outside backs. They will continue racking up points if Broncos (58), Eels (38), Cowboys (28) and the Bulldogs (35), who they face on their run home, concede as many points as they did in round 16.  

Joel Gould (NRL.com reporter)

With Alex Johnston back for South Sydney and with the team playing razzle-dazzle football the Rabbitohs fullback should get over the line as the top try scorer. He has seven tries in his last four games which replicates the kind of football Souths are playing at the back end of the season.

Chris Kennedy (NRL.com reporter)

I'll back Brett Morris. He'd have a few more if not for his injury layoff and with troops returning – particularly Boyd Cordner and Luke Keary on the Roosters left edge – I'm tipping plenty of tries to come through that channel over the closing weeks and the evergreen Morris to overtake those names in front of him.

Every try from round 16

Troy Whittaker (NRL.com reporter)

With games against the Broncos (15th), Cowboys (14th) and Bulldogs (16th) to come, Penrith's lethal left-side attack looks set to pile on the points and centre Stephen Crichton should have every chance to cross the stripe more than his try-scoring rivals.

Margie McDonald (NRL.com senior reporter)

Josh Addo-Carr. He plays his 100th NRL game this weekend so that should fire up The Foxx a bit more. He's scored in four of his past seven games but each time it's been a double.

Martin Lenehan (NRL.com senior journalist)

The Panthers' attack has been relentless and young gun Stephen Crichton is cashing on the slick work of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai. The ladder leaders are in a mood to put some huge scores on lower-ranked opponents in the final month.

Zac Bailey (NRL.com reporter)

How can you go past Panthers flyer Stephen Crichton? He played four games in 2019, but burst out of the blocks in 2020 – scoring his first try within 14 seconds of entering the field of play in round one against the Roosters – and since then has never looked back. 

Alicia Newton (NRL.com reporter)

I picked David Nofoaluma at the start of the year so won't be backing down now. The Tigers may be struggling but Nofoaluma is in career-best form and should take out their player of the year award.

Kenny Scott (NRL.com Sunday Session podcaster)

Josh Addo-Carr with a bullet. Three out of the four games left for the Storm are against sides that are out of contention and have also shown some poor defensive efforts of late. Melbourne's left edge attack has been building all season and last week against Manly, the Storm showed they're not afraid to kick early and let Addo-Carr's pace do the talking.

 

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARL Commission, NRL clubs or state associations.