Dally M 2023: Kalyn Ponga man of the moment but it’s fashion that steals the show

Kalyn Ponga has taken out the 2023 Dally M award and Tamika Upton the NRLW player of the year at a glittering affair in Sydney on Wednesday night.

NRL Dally M Medal winner Kalyn Ponga and NRLW Dally M Medal winner Tamika Upton on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

Kalyn Ponga has taken out the 2023 Dally M award at a glittering affair in Sydney on Wednesday night.

The Knights star polled 56 votes in a count overhauled this year in a bid to clean up how votes are distributed. Two independent judges were each given three points per game for who they ­believed was best on field.

“There’s so much talent in this league and to be standing in front of you I feel honoured, humbled and very, very lucky,” Ponga said.

He thanked his team, family and coaches for their love, support and belief saying that without it his career would be “100 per cent impossible”.

“I had an early season holiday and while I was over there, I decided I wanted to stop letting people down and start making people proud and think I came back and did that. What a year,” Ponga said.

It caps off a stellar year for the 25-year-old, who was also awarded fullback of the year. Last month he took out the 2023 Danny Buderus Medal as the NRL player of the year.

Ponga’s stablemate at the Knights, Tamika Upton, won best NRLW player of the year and NFLW fullback of the year.

Before the count got underway, all eyes were on the astro turf in the arrivals hall.

Some commentators called it a “faux pas”, others blamed the laid-back Gold Coast influence, but David Fifita polled fashion points on the Dally M red carpet.

The Titans star thumbed his nose at the official black tie dress code by forgoing a tie and donning a clean pair of white sneakers for the best and fairest awards night. A bold fashion forward move by the second rower which raised eyebrows but won the tick of approval from stylish spectators, including red carpet host Josh Mansour.

Fifita, who was named second rower of the year, wasn’t the only male player to take a fashion risk as the who’s who of the code flocked to Sydney’s Royal Randwick racecourse.

Panthers stars Sunia Turuva, Stephen Crichton and Brian To‘o, accompanied by their glamorous partners, showed off their ankles and (intact) collar bones in loafers and open collars.

The NRLW players unwittingly followed trends shown on the runways in Paris just hours earlier. Roosters captain Isabelle Kelly and star Tarryn Aiken donned Barbie-pink and black bejewelled gowns respectively. None knew who made their head turning dresses.

“I don’t actually know the name of the dress … so that’s really bad,” Kelly said. It was her only misstep, she looked like Sports Barbie in a hot pink gown with matching opera gloves.

The rejection of fashion rules also continued with last year’s winner. Nicho Hynes wore a blue velvet tuxedo and Kezie Apps of the Wests Tigers teamed her blue lace floor-length gown with white Asics trainers.

Monochrome and thigh-high splits were the major trends of the night, with black and white ­dresses favoured heavily over bold colours, teamed with toned and tanned limbs.

Panthers second row Liam Martin was accompanied by his partner Chelsea Leary, who was a vision of regal elegance in white and matching ivory pumps.

She was not the only Panthers plus one in white. Dylan Edward’s partner Nadine Haggart donned a champagne-hued, embellished slip dress that would not be out of place in a Botticelli exhibition.