NRL Dally M Awards 2026: Cleary favourite, Newcastle Knights training session draws 12,000 fans
🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅
#nrl #dallym #awards 👇👇👇
NRL Dally M Awards 2026: Cleary favourite, Newcastle Knights training session draws 12,000 fans
The 2026 Dally M Awards ceremony is underway with several key winners announced tonight. South Sydney's Jai Arrow has been awarded the Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year for his 100th appearance with the club, while Alex Johnston and Thomas Jenkins jointly won the Ken Irvine Medal as the NRL's leading tryscorers with 30 tries each. Dolphins' Jamayne Isaako leads the NRL's pointscoring, and the NRLW top pointscorer title was shared by Brisbane Broncos' Jesse Southwell and Sydney Roosters' Jocelyn Kelleher. Ali Brigginshaw received the NRLW Provan-Summons Award. Johnston also claimed the NRL Try of the Year, while Canberra's Mackenzie Wiki won the NRLW Try of the Year. Newcastle Knights coach Justin Holbrook expressed his delight at the 12,000 fans attending their open training session at McDonald Jones Stadium, calling it 'unreal' and highlighting the community connection to rugby league in the Hunter region. Penrith's Nathan Cleary is the favourite to win the Dally M Medal, with his father and coach Ivan Cleary reflecting on the emotional week following Nathan's broken leg suffered in Sunday's loss to Newcastle. Ivan stated that Nathan would be 'absolutely thrilled' to win the award, though he would prefer to be playing in the grand final. The event also featured notable red carpet appearances, including Mimi Bowell, partner of Newcastle Knights' Kalyn Ponga, who wore a custom white Tulle Addict gown, and Courtney Cook, wife of South Sydney Rabbitohs' Damien Cook, who wore a semi-sheer bustier gown with a feathered train. The ceremony is being held at a venue with a focus on celebrating the achievements of players and the community impact of rugby league.