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Nathan Cleary is the hot favourite for the Dally M Medal but remains in Royal North Shore Hospital after surgery, with the NRL and Panthers to decide Wednesday morning on his involvement should he win.
Nathan Cleary is the hot favourite to win the Dally M Medal on Wednesday night, but the NRL and Penrith Panthers will wait until Wednesday morning to decide if he is well enough to appear live on camera from his hospital bed should he prevail.
Cleary underwent surgery late on Sunday as a result of a hip-drop tackle by Newcastle's Phoenix Crossland, and is recovering at Royal North Shore Hospital. The game's best player for 2026 will be crowned on Wednesday, September 30, when the NRL celebrates at the Dally M Awards. The NRL and NRLW worlds will come together to find out who will win the men's and women's main prizes.
Acceptance Speech Options Discussed
The ceremony starts at 6pm AEST and the Dally M Medallist should be announced just after 9:30pm. Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed other options being discussed included Panthers coach Ivan Cleary accepting the award on his son's behalf, or even asking Nathan to pre-record an acceptance speech. Cleary posted a photo from his hospital bed on Monday afternoon.
Cleary has never won the Dally M and was pipped by Jack Wighton in 2020 when most fans expected him to win. That night was hijacked by The Daily Telegraph's decision to publish the Wighton story hours before it was made official, which led to the NRL clamping down on publishing embargoes. This year was the first time the NRL did not even make public the finalists for the different awards, including captain, coach and rookie of the year.
The Rugby League Players Association on Monday announced Cleary as their Players' Champion, the award he won in 2020. His partner, Matildas forward Mary Fowler, took to social media to congratulate Cleary, posting on Instagram: As proud as one can be. So well deserved darling. Cleary was in front by three votes when polling went behind closed doors after round 12.
Cleary Faces Competitive Rivals
Canterbury's Jackson Ford was second, but suffered a ruptured pectoral and missed the second half of the season. Cleary's main rivals include Penrith teammate Dylan Edwards, who was sidelined late in the regular season because of a shoulder complaint. Cronulla's Will Kennedy, North Queensland's Scott Drinkwater, and even Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga, who caused a boilover in 2023 to pinch the Dally M by one vote from Shaun Johnson, are also expected to be in the race.
Ponga, however, on Tuesday thought the award was Cleary's to lose. He's been the best player a number of years, although he hasn't won the award, he's been the best - he definitely deserves it, and just keeps getting better, which is scary, he said. Cleary was instrumental in NSW beating Queensland in the Origin series, and won the Wally Lewis Medal for being the best player in the series.
Brad Fittler, the Penrith and Roosters legend and a close friend of the Cleary family, was heartbroken to see Nathan in pain on the weekend, not to mention witness the raw emotion shown by his parents, Ivan and Bec, the latter who was seated just behind him at Accor Stadium. I thought he was going to clean up everything this year, he looked strong early, then dominated Origin, I thought he was unbeatable - it took a broken foot and broken leg to stop him, Fittler said.
Voting Process Changes Explained
Roosters fullback James Tedesco took out the men's award last year while Broncos star Tamika Upton won the women's award. Before the 2023 season the NRL made several changes to the Dally M voting process, with two independent judges handing out six points each on a 3-2-1 basis. Judges will also vote for their best player in each position throughout the season, determining who is named.
If a player comes in the top three of the overall Dally M leaderboard, they automatically earn selection in their respective position. Rugby league fans will be able to catch all the action from the sport's night of nights LIVE on Fox League and Kayo Sports. Get the expert take on NRL Grand Final Day with FOX LEAGUE's extensive coverage, plus full and mini replays available post-game on Kayo Sports.
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smh:Cleary is the favourite to win the Dally M. Here’s how NRL plans to handle the awardThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
NRL Dally M Awards Rugby League Fox League Kayo Sports Nathan Cleary Penrith Panthers Hip-Drop Surgery
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