Dally M Medal 2026 Betting Tips & Betting Odds
The Dally M Medal is the NRL’s most prestigious individual award, presented each season to the player judged the competition’s best and fairest across the regular season. Named after rugby league pioneer Herbert “Dally” Messenger, the medal was introduced in 1979 and has been recognised as the NRL’s official Player of the Year award since 1998.
Voting takes place throughout the regular season, with two independent judges assessing every NRL match. Each judge awards three points to their best player, two to the second-best and one to the third-best, meaning a player can collect a maximum of six points in a game. The leaderboard is made public through Round 12 before voting goes behind closed doors, with the player finishing the season with the most eligible votes crowned the Dally M Medal winner during Grand Final week.
How To Bet On The Dally M Medal
Unfortunately after a scandal that took place involving the Coach of the Year award in 2019, betting on all categories was suspended in June, 2020.
Since two men were convicted incuring $10 million worth of fines for fixing, bookmakers have not offered markets for the Dally M Medals. It is unknown when and if the NRL's most prestigous awards will be open for for betting in the future.
Dally M Medal Best Bookmakers
While betting on the Dally M Medal is currently unavailable, NRL fans can still bet on a plethora of markets, with the best NRL bookmakers listed below.
Alternatively, check out the best NRL betting sites here.
Dally M 2026 Votes Leader Board
The NRL updates the Dally M 2026 votes leader board after every single round of the premiership season until the voting went behind closed doors after round 12, with Panthers star Nathan Cleary holding a three-point lead over Warriors forward Jackson Ford.
You can view the standings as of Round 12 in the table below.
| Position | Player | Club | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Cleary | Panthers | 38 |
| 2 | Jackson Ford | Warriors | 35 |
| 3 | Dylan Edwards | Panthers | 32 |
| 4 | Scott Drinkwater | Cowboys | 29 |
| 5 | James Tedesco | Roosters | 27 |
| 6 | Braydon Trindall | Sharks | 23 |
| 7 | Haumole Olakau'atu | Sea Eagles | 22 |
| =8 | Adam Doueihi | Wests Tigers | 20 |
| =8 | Latrell Mitchell | Rabbitohs | 20 |
| 10 | Kalyn Ponga | Knights | 19 |
| =11 | Harry Grant | Storm | 18 |
| =11 | Jake Clifford | Cowboys | 18 |
Cleary remained on 38 points after failing to poll in Rounds 11 and 12, while Ford closed the gap from seven points after Round 10 to just three when voting went private. Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards was another three points further back on 32.
For the latest leader board on the 2026 Dally M Medal leader board, click here
Dally M Medal 2026 Betting Odds
We've come up with a mock market for the 2026 Dally M Medal, taking into consideration the following criteria (note, these are mock odds, Australian bookmakers don't release betting markets for the Dally M Medal):
- Round 12 starting position: This carried the most weight. Nathan Cleary had 38 votes, Jackson Ford 35, Dylan Edwards 32, Scott Drinkwater 29 and James Tedesco 27 when voting became private.
- Second-half individual form: We considered how consistently each player performed from Round 13 through the end of the regular season, particularly performances likely to attract 3-2-1 votes.
- Team results: Winning teams generally provide more opportunities to poll. Penrith's strong season therefore strengthened Cleary's position, particularly given his influence at halfback.
- Dally M-friendly performances: We gave extra consideration to dominant games from halves, fullbacks and other influential players who tend to be highly visible to Dally M judges. This isn't part of the official voting criteria, but is relevant when estimating votes.
- Competition for votes from teammates: This was important. Cleary and Edwards can take votes from each other at Penrith, while Ford has other high-performing Warriors teammates competing for votes. The same applies to players such as Drinkwater at North Queensland.
- Games played/availability: A player can't accumulate votes when he doesn't play, so injuries, suspensions, byes and representative-period absences need to be factored into an estimated final tally.
- Known voting trajectory: We looked at how quickly players were accumulating votes before the leaderboard disappeared. For example, Cleary went from 24 after Round 7 to 38 after Round 10, while Ford had led with 28 after Round 7 before Cleary overtook him.
- 2026 season production: Cleary's overall numbers reinforce why we have him strongly favoured. Across 22 regular-season appearances, he recorded 29 try assists, 25 line-break assists and averaged more than 500 kicking metres per game.
- Uncertainty premium: Because all votes from Round 13 onwards are secret, we deliberately left meaningful prices against the challengers rather than treating Cleary's Round 12 lead as decisive. Under the official system, two judges independently award 3-2-1 votes, so as many as six points are available to a player in a match.
With this in mind, the mock odds are as follows:
| Player | Mock Odds |
|---|---|
| Nathan Cleary | $2.40 |
| Scott Drinkwater | $3.50 |
| Dylan Edwards | $4.50 |
| Braydon Trindall | $7.00 |
| James Tedesco | $13.00 |
| Jackson Ford | $34.00 |
| Jake Clifford | $41.00 |
| Harry Grant | $51.00 |
| Haumole Olakau'atu | $51.00 |
| Kalyn Ponga | $67.00 |
| Latrell Mitchell | $101.00 |
| Adam Doueihi | $101.00 |
Dally M Medal Previous Winners
| Winner | Year |
|---|---|
| 2025 | James Tedesco |
| 2024 | Jahrome Hughes |
| 2023 | Kalyn Ponga |
| 2022 | Nicho Hynes |
| 2021 | Tom Trbojevic |
| 2020 | Jack Wighton |
| 2019 | James Tedesco |
| 2018 | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck |
| 2017 | Cameron Smith |
| 2016 | Cooper Cronk/Jason Taumalol |
| 2015 | Johnathan Thurston |
| 2014 | Jarryd Hayne/Johnathan Thurston |
| 2013 | Cooper Cronk |
| 2012 | Ben Barba |
| 2011 | Billy Slater |
| 2010 | Todd Carney |
| 2009 | Jarryd Hayne |
| 2008 | Matt Orford |
| 2007 | Johnathan Thurston |
| 2006 | Cameron Smith |
| 2005 | Johnathan Thurston |
Dally M Medal Live Streaming
Channel 9 has the broadcast rights to the Dally M Medal and will stream the count live via their smartphone app 9Now, meaning that if you’re out and about, you don’t have to miss the action as it happens.
Dally M Medal FAQ
- What is the Dally M Medal?
The Dally M Medal is the top individual award in the NRL. It is given to the player voted the best player of the NRL premiership season.
- How does the Dally M Medal voting work?
The Dally M Medal is presented to the player deemed the NRL's best and fairest. The voting occurs after each regular season premiership, where rugby league sports commentators vote to award three votes to the best player, two votes to the second-best player, and one vote to the third-best player.
- Can I place a bet on the Dally M Medal?
No, you cannot. Dally M betting was suspended in 2020 after a scandal around the 2019 Dally M oach of the Year.
- When do the votes on the Dally M Medal stop being made public?
Round 12 of the NRL season is the last time the public can access the votes round-to-round on the Dally M Medal.
- Who won the 2025 Dally M Medal?
James Tedesco won the 2025 Dally M Medal.
