NRL 2022: Dally M Medal points leaders at every club
Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes could be repeating history set by Johnathan Thurston as the race for the NRL’s top individual honour goes down to the wire. See the points leaders at every club.
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In 2005, an unassuming playmaker in his first year at a club claimed the Dally M Medal, then proceeded to lead his team on a fairytale ride to the grand final.
Seventeen years on and Nicho Hynes could be repeating history set by Johnathan Thurston, with many predicting Hynes is one good game away from winning the medal.
It remains to be seen if he guides Cronulla to a decider.
Thurston had only started 17 NRL games for the Bulldogs before he was snapped up by the Cowboys in a deal that catapulted North Queensland into one of the most feared teams for the next decade.
The signs were there that he could be a superstar, but few could have predicted just how much of an impact he’d make after playing a part in Canterbury’s 2004 premiership and then leading the Cowboys to the decider the following year.
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The crowning moment was seeing Thurston beat Andrew Johns by one point to win the first of his four Dally M awards, having been in second place when voting went behind closed doors.
That’s where Hynes comes in.
The mature-aged rookie had only started 22 games at the Storm, not including being part of their 2020 premiership triumph, before the Sharks made the pitch to move north on a big deal to be the club’s main man.
It was a completely new role for Hynes who spent most of his time in Melbourne as a utility, before an injury to Ryan Papenhuyzen last year allowed him to showcase his true talent to the rest of the league.
The 26-year-old was only three points behind Ben Hunt when Dally M voting went behind closed doors after Round 12, but a composite leaderboard with Daily Telegraph votes has him behind by just one vote with a round to go.
“It’s pretty crazy because a few years ago I never thought I’d be in contention for the Dally M,” Hynes said. “I can’t get that talk about me if I’m not playing good footy at the Sharks with my teammates, and they’ve done a hell of a job for me this season so I try to reward them by playing good footy.
“I try not to read into the judging so I don’t look at the leaderboard or anything like that because I try to stay as humble as I can.
“I’d much rather a premiership than the Dally M Medal, but in saying that, it’s humbling and I’m grateful to be in this position. It’d be awesome to win it but I’ve got a bigger job to do here for the Sharks.”
Hynes has polled maximum votes in four games according to predictions to be on 30 points, just one behind Hunt. He’s expected to have a big game against the battling Knights while Hunt’s Dragons finished the season with a win against the Broncos.
“I haven’t spoken to Nicho about it because I don’t want to put any pressure on him,” teammate Dale Finucane said. “But he’s had such an outstanding year.
“It’s funny the opportunity he got down in Melbourne last year, he wouldn’t have had that if Ryan Papenhuyzen hadn’t had a 10-week stint on the sidelines to showcase how good a player he was. From there, opportunities came to sign at other clubs.
“He’d be so deserving of the medal.”
Finucane said it was clear how hungry Hynes was to prove himself as a top playmaker when he arrived to pre-season training two weeks earlier than he had to.
But did the former Storm lock think Hynes would be this good in his first year with the Sharks?
“I think based on what I saw at Melbourne and how well he did at fullback for us, I knew that he had that ball-playing ability,” he said.
“I had confidence that Nicho could be the player that he is now.
“I don’t know if he’s exceeded his own expectations of the standing he has in the competition at the moment as one of the best players.
“I don’t know if he would have foreseen the trajectory of how good he would get from that position to where he is at the moment.”
EACH TEAM’S DALLY M POINTS LEADERS (Up until Round 24)
Broncos
Adam Reynolds (17)
Payne Haas (10)
Patrick Carrigan (10)
Bulldogs
Matt Burton (20)
Tevita Pangai Jr (4)
Jeremy Marshall-King (4)
Cowboys
Scott Drinkwater (18)
Jason Taumalolo (17)
Chad Townsend (15)
Dragons
Ben Hunt (31)
Jack Bird (6)
Zac Lomax (5)
Eels
Mitchell Moses (24)
Reed Mahoney (14)
Dylan Brown (12)
Knights
Kalyn Ponga (10)
David Klemmer (7)
Jake Clifford (6)
Panthers
Dylan Edwards (25)
Isaah Yeo (18)
Viliame Kikau (16)
Rabbitohs
Cameron Murray (16)
Cody Walker (12)
Latrell Mitchell (11)
Raiders
Joseph Tapine (20)
Jack Wighton (19)
Adam Elliott (9)
Roosters
James Tedesco (24)
Joseph Manu (17)
Sam Walker (11)
Sea Eagles
Daly Cherry-Evans (21)
Haumole Olakau’atu (14)
Lachlan Croker (6)
Sharks
Nicho Hynes (30)
Siosifa Talakai (12)
Matt Moylan (11)
Storm
Cameron Munster (20)
Harry Grant (19)
Ryan Papenhuyzen (15)
Titans
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (12)
Alexander Brimson (9)
Jayden Campbell (5)
Warriors
Reece Walsh (7)
Addin Fonua-Blake (7)
Joshua Curran (5)
Wests Tigers
Jackson Hastings (10)
Adam Doueihi (7)
Luke Brooks (6)
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Originally published as NRL 2022: Dally M Medal points leaders at every club
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