Canberra Raiders superstar Jack Wighton has come from the clouds to upset Nathan Cleary to claim an incredible Dally M Medal win.
In 2019, Jack Wighton was a great footballer playing five-eighth, but in 2020 he became a great five-eighth with the Canberra pivot taking home Dally M Player of the Year honours to prove it.
In a Dally M upset for the ages, Wighton pipped Parramatta’s Clint Gutherson and Penrith’s Nathan Cleary to become the first Raider in 25 years to take home the game’s ultimate individual prize.
An electric second half of the season propelled Wighton to glory with the 27-year-old claiming man of the match honours in four of his last five matches to finish with 26 votes, one clear of Gutherson and two ahead of Cleary.
Penrith’s lengthy winning streak had Cleary as the hot favourite and Gutherson’s consistency among Parramatta’s fluctuating fortunes kept him in the hunt but Wighton would not be denied.
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Wighton is Canberra’s first Dally M winner since 1995 when Raiders legend Laurie Daley, to whom Wighton is so often compared, took home the Medal.
Daley is one of the finest players of the modern era and Wighton has played down the comparison in the past.
But with a Dally M medal now sitting alongside the Clive Churchill medal he claimed as best on ground in last year’s grand final loss to the Roosters there is no disputing that Wighton is the best playmaker the Raiders have seen since their glory days.
"I can’t really explain. I’m actually speechless. Coming here tonight I didn’t think I’d win the award."
"His (Ricky Stuart’s) support over the last few years, he’s been really backing. He’s the one who put the faith in me to move into the halves so just having that in itself was something I really built a lot of confidence off."
"It’s been a very tough year for everyone. The club has been massive. We’re trying to set a foundation, there’s something that’s really grown over the last few years and you can see that."
"I always try to be a leader and a role model to all the younger kids and show whatever they put their best forward to they can achieve it."
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart, who masterminded Wighton’s move from fullback to five-eighth last season, is the only other Raider to win the game’s top individual honour.
The move to the halves transformed Wighton’s career - he’s become an automatic selection for New South Wales and Australia and one of the game’s best players.
A spectacular debut season at five-eighth last year already had Wighton among rugby league’s elite but he took things to another level in 2020, especially after Josh Hodgson’s season-ending knee injury in Round 9.
Losing the English rake was supposed to put a dagger in Canberra’s premiership hopes but Wighton shone over the back half of the year, thriving with the greater responsibility.
As the Raiders continued to punch above their weight while sustaining injury after injury, Wighton showed a greater mastery of the playmaking arts while retaining the raw skill and athleticism that has always made him dangerous.
His combination with English halfback George Williams also blossomed as the year went on, which allows Wighton to unlock his best football.
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Wighton was in seventh place when the voting went behind closed doors after Round 10 but pulled in 16 votes in his final ten matches.
The Raiders won eight of their last ten to keep pace with the rest of the competition’s big guns with Wighton’s exemplary form keeping them in the hunt for the title.
He was awarded three votes for his role in Canberra’s win over South Sydney in Round 11 and caught fire with the rest of the Green Machine down the stretch.
Wighton polled three votes in wins over Gold Coast (Round 15), Canterbury (Round 16), St George Illawarra (Round 18) and New Zealand (Round 19) before he was rested for the final game of the regular season against the Sharks.
Both Cleary and Gutherson were in striking distance but neither could attract a single vote in Round 20, delivering Wighton victory by the barest of margins.
RE-LIVE OUR LIVE COVERAGE OF THE DALLY M AWARDS BELOW.
Originally published as Dally M 2020: Jack Wighton claims NRL's highest individual award in stunning upset
That's all for the live coverage. Well done to Jack Wighton on being named the 2020 Dally M Medal winner, and congratulations to everybody who was honoured tonight.
It was richly deserved in a year that has been tough on everyone, and the NRL has done a great job bringing us a season in bizarre circumstances.
Enjoy the rest of your week and bring on the Grand Final!
It's been an incredible journey for Jack Wighton to reach this moment.
More than many other Dally M winners, it's been a rocky road that would have had many doubting the Raiders gun could make it.
But coach Ricky Stuart has stood by him the entire way, and in the end, it was a decision Stuart made for Wighton that may have turned his career around.
Paul Kent writes about the moment that changed it all, and put Jack on the path to greatness.
Jack Wighton has become the first Raider to win the Dally M since Laurie Daley in 1995!
An emotional Wighton is speechless after holding on in the final round.
And the inaugural 13-man Team of the Year has officially been announced!
The Panthers dominate (rightfully) and how about Cameron Smith doing it again? Surely he shouldn't retire. The guy is at the height of his powers and has been for years.
And a rookie making the team but not winning Rookie of the Year? Just has 2020 written all over it.
Nick Campton has the full team here with a run down of each player's season.
And the inaugural 13-man Team of the Year has officially been announced!
The Panthers dominate (rightfully) and how about Cameron Smith doing it again? Surely he shouldn't retire. The guy is at the height of his powers and has been for years.
And a rookie making the team but not winning Rookie of the Year? Just has 2020 written all over it.
Nick Campton has the full team here with a run down of each player's season.
There's just one vote in it with one round left, and Jack Wighton was rested in the final round, while Gutherson had a belter.
Here's the top five as it stands:
Jack Wighton — 26
Clint Gutherson — 25
Nathan Cleary — 24
Cameron Smith — 22
Luke Keary — 18
Shaun Johnson — 18
Something to smile about in Brisbane!
The men's competition was a bit of a disaster, but Ali Brigginshaw continues to be a shining light for the women's game and for Queensland.
And this recognition has been a long time coming for a genuine star of the game.
Chris Honnery reports here.
For the first time in the history of the awards, we'll see a full 13-man team picked instead of the usual solo positional awards.
But who makes the cut? The Daily Telegraph's Nick Campton sat down with Fox Sports Lab's Aaron Wallace to pick their team and it's … interesting.
While all eyes are on son Nathan, papa Cleary has his own shot at a gong as Coach of the Year.
And yet just five years ago – to the day – Ivan was sacked by the very club he's taken to an historic Grand Final.
Buzz Rothfield has the inside story here, on how one of the Penrith board members didn't know it was happening, how upset Cleary was about it, and how it might just have been the best thing the Panthers ever did.
Just a sneaky chat going on with Cam Smith during the awards.
Enough time to have a look at this yarn, revealing how Smith's Storm came knocking for the man who currently leads the Dally M