What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

2023 Dally M Awards

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
1,288
Well done to KP and Upton.

There will be people that disagree with the result, there is every year and it’s subjective and often valid, but tbh if Ponga had have played more games the result probably wouldn’t have been close.

Bloke took one of the most inexperienced spines in the comp to 5th, just behind SJ’s Warriors. Knights also finished the regular season as the leading try scorers and he was involved in most of them. I would have been more than happy for SJ to win, but I’m not sure many players could have done what Ponga did in such a small amount of games. Especially taking into account his concussion issues and playing some of the season in a different position. Bloke is understandably maligned but jeez, pretty special effort what he’s done this year.
 

AlwaysGreen

Immortal
Messages
48,119
Kalyn Ponga has aged like a bottle of milk in the sun. What happened to that fresh faced kid? He's 25, got a head on him like a 40 year old.
 

taste2taste

Juniors
Messages
1,863
So if you want to predict the Dally M winner you pick the best player in an average team thats devoid of stars ?

The fact that the best player on the best team can never win shows how busted the system is, it's the equivalent of Michael Jordan never winning an MVP
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
1,288
So if you want to predict the Dally M winner you pick the best player in an average team thats devoid of stars ?

The fact that the best player on the best team can never win shows how busted the system is, it's the equivalent of Michael Jordan never winning an MVP

You have to consider it the other way too though. Players in teams full of superstars have the luxury of it being very easy to shine because of the blokes around them.
 

Lemon Squash

First Grade
Messages
8,044
So if you want to predict the Dally M winner you pick the best player in an average team thats devoid of stars ?

The fact that the best player on the best team can never win shows how busted the system is, it's the equivalent of Michael Jordan never winning an MVP

Joey managed to do it a few times mate, ditto JT…..Slater, Cronk and Smith all won it and they all played on the same team.

MJ played in a stacked team but he was still levels above his teammates.
 
Messages
2,989
Congratulations to Ponga. Good to see a Queenslander take out the top gong instead of a NSWanker. It was also refreshing to see all style no substance show ponies like Moses and Ilias completely absent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MRN

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,649
Far less emphasis on the best player. More important to award the best team of the year by position and that is what we should be concentrating on.

Spine players winning every year is boring and doesn't represent the reality of the sport. 17 players take the field every week and the throw away votes just get sent to the spine players. They'll go 'ahh geez one vote left...Drinkwater got a try assist 1 point'. It's his main KPI so getting an assist is not really that special, and never mind the context of that try. Probably a mis-kick that ricocheted into the hands of Brendan Elliott.

Here is one change: judges need 50+ words for each player given a vote. They'll have time to scribble something down in between eating their sausage roll. Anything less than a finger painting and they can get the boot.

Until they create a system that makes sense I won't be paying attention to it (Unless it involves Craig Gower's 2003 Dally M medal).
 
Last edited:
Messages
14,174
Part of the problem is that this award always tends to go to the "flashier" style players, who play in the spine. Since it was first awarded in 1980 following is a list of non-spine (i.e. fullback, five eight, halfback or hooker) player's who have won the Dally M Medal -

1981 - Steve Rogers
1982 - Ray Price
1988 and 1989 - Gavin Miller
2016 - Jason Taumalolo.

So regardless of the judges, its very clear that it has focused too much on the spine and creative players. They can't do squat if their forwards aren't going forward.
 
Last edited:

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,358
So if you want to predict the Dally M winner you pick the best player in an average team thats devoid of stars ?

The fact that the best player on the best team can never win shows how busted the system is, it's the equivalent of Michael Jordan never winning an MVP
Umm you realise we only finished one spot behind the warriors on the table right?
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,358
Considering how Shaun Johnson played all year how is that he lost to player that played well half a year.
Tell me you don’t understand the points voting process without telling me you don’t understand the points voting process…..
The fact Ponga accumulated that many points in only 18 games tells you how dominant he was when he played.
If you look past your rage, the knights won 14 games with Ponga been MOTM for like 9 of those games, it’s not hard to see how he accumulated so many votes.
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
1,288
Tell me you don’t understand the points voting process without telling me you don’t understand the points voting process…..
The fact Ponga accumulated that many points in only 18 games tells you how dominant he was when he played.
If you look past your rage, the knights won 14 games with Ponga been MOTM for like 9 of those games, it’s not hard to see how he accumulated so many votes.

Yeah pretty much this. You don’t get points for playing more games.

I love SJ and he’s had a great year but he wasn’t robbed - it wouldn’t have been close if Ponga had played more games.

This was hardly a shocking result considering how the voting works and people are only worked up about it because it’s Ponga who’s not very liked outside of kids/the media where SJ is very popular with all RL fans.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
66,311
It’s often been the case a standout spine player in a team with few other stars will win. It’s a dumb system and the award should be treat with the limited value it really has. Nice salary bumper upper though if you can get it!
 

Latest posts

Top