Canberra Raiders and England hooker Josh Hodgson has missed out on becoming the first Englishman to win the prestigious individual award.
Hodgson eventually finished out of the running as Cooper Cronk and Jason Taumololo ended up joint-winners of the award.
Per the rules of the Dally M Medal voting, players lose three votes for a suspension, which Hodgson did incur earlier in the season. That round of voting inevitably saw him also pick up no points too, costing him dear in the race for the award.
The other big awards on the night saw Canberra coach Ricky Stuart pick up the Dally M Coach of the Year award.
Stuart led the Raiders to a play-off semi-final in 2016, narrowly losing to Melbourne last weekend as they missed out on the Grand Final at the expense of the Storm.
Cameron Smith won the Representative Player of the Year award for his performances in State of Origin, saying: “It’s always about enjoying each others company and having fun along the way.”
Raiders captain Jarrod Croker won the Dally M Captain of the Year. The Ken Stephen Medal, which recognises the efforts of an NRL player who has not only achieved on the field, but has also committed time off the field to community projects, was won by St George’s Joel Thompson.
