Let the record show I was happy with the Dally M award winners – for the most part. One issue I did have came from the reports on Wednesday that there was a good chance Glenn Stewart would have been crowned the Dally M winner if not for his suspension.
This genuinely concerns me.
Don’t get me wrong, Glenn Stewart – particularly this year – has been an excellent club footballer. He has formed a potent right side combination with Jamie Lyon, Will Hopoate and the young and exceptionally talented Manly halves. He has impressed me with his passing and short kicking game.
In saying all of that, Glenn Stewart was not the best player in the league this year (suspension or no suspension). I can – and I’m sure you can – think of numerous players who have out-played Stewart this season.
What makes this all the more baffling is, he wasn’t even the best player in his position. There would be very few people who would argue anyone other than Paul Gallen has been the best lock all year. It signifies a severe problem with the system that someone who is clearly not the best player of the season and isn’t actually the best in his position could come so close to winning the top gong on Dally M night.
For all the people out there reading this and thinking “Yeah but, Glenn Stewart had a great season”, just think about how ridiculous it would have been to wake up on Wednesday morning to the news that Glenn Stewart was crowned 2011’s best player ahead of Benji Marshall, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, just to name a few.
In regards to the Coach of the Year award… Craig Bellamy? Really?
NB. I am a huge Storm fan and a Brisbane Broncos member so my opinion between these two contenders is actually quite balanced. Now…
Yes, the Storm had a hard year in 2010 (maybe the hardest of any rugby league club ever); and yes, they did have to jettison a number of their players before the season and it was a great effort to bounce back and take out the minor premiership. Despite all of this, ‘Bellyache’ does still have quite a bit to work with.
On his roster, he has three of the top five players in the world in Smith, Slater and Cronk. Throw in New Zealand and England test players – Adam Blair, Sika Manu, Matt Duffie and Gareth Widdop – plus, recent State of Origin players – Anthony Quinn and Dane Nielsen – and you have a potent side. So their success should not have been a massive revelation and you must put a lot of it down to the players.
Anthony Griffin, however, really had his work cut out for him. 18 of the players he used this year, at the start of the season, had two or fewer seasons of first grade experience. Even the players that did debut in 2009 (the “elder” statesman) for the most part had only played the odd game around origin time. Justin Hodges, one of the few old hands in the team, rarely played – and when he did he wasn’t fit and didn’t perform.
Griffin, in his first year in the top job, led this team through the season, made tough calls, changed player’s roles and delivered the Broncos back to the top four.
Coach. Of. The. Year.
As I have not been shy about, I am a Maroon-bloodeed Queenslander and an avid Storm and Cameron Smith fan. He played brilliantly in the State of Origin series and ANZAC test, but was he really the year’s best representative player?
As I said in my Dally M predictions article, I don’t like Paul Gallen’s personality, but he has played like a maniac this year. He stepped it up a notch or twenty in the Origin series and was outstanding in a beaten side. He led that NSW team the way a captain should; from the front and by example. Luckily, he didn’t have to do it so much with his words because he’s not quite so good with them. Plus his form in the ANZAC test was nothing to be sneezed at.
These were essentially my only issues with the Dally M awards of 2011
Lost Earthling
Guest
I'm quite surprised Stephen Kearney didn't get coach of the year after ensuring his team didn't come last considering half of them weren't up to first grade standard, in particular the big off-season recruits (almost all of whom retired through the season).
Nick the Rooster
Roar Rookie
@ Brendan - I understand the News Ltd realtionship with the Dally M's, but that's excuse for the fact they're rubbish. I do remeber the Rothman's Medal as well. @ Jonathon - The only people that see or notice the little things players do are coaches and other players. The average fan only sees the big hits and runaway tries. What about opposition coaches or capatains giving the points?
Jonathan Healy
Roar Rookie
This isn't really an article about bias. It's just about the wrong calls being made. Orford getting Dally M wasn't bias it just happened because Billy Slater's suspension at the end of the season stripped him of points. But yeah, Uate's was pure bias.
Gaz
Guest
Bias is rife in the NRL - how did Orford ever be best? How did Uate ever get off? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
sledgeross
Guest
too tough to judge though mate, luke douglas, michael luck and alan tongue are not going to see papers!
Brendan
Roar Rookie
Absolutely agree, it has to be someone else entirely. There are so many players that do the little things that go unnoticed but in context of the game have a much larger effect then the superstar playmaker or try scorer who get the Dally M points...
Jonathan Healy
Roar Rookie
Then maybe it's time to introduce some sort of 'Most Consistent Player' award to recognise the Glenn Stewart's and Peter Wallace's of the game.
Jonathan Healy
Roar Rookie
See, I just don't feel the refs, if they're doing their jobs properly, can be watching all of the little things players do. They can't cast their eyes to the backplay and see how early Billy Slater predicts things and how good his positional play is and things like that. The refs have a hard enough time of it aready, let's not give them anything else to worry about.
Brendan
Roar Rookie
The reason its rubbish is because the awards are owned by News Limited, why do you think the SMH didn’t run any coverage on it in the lead up to the event? The original award is the Rothmans Medal & had a much more prestigious event to go with it, hopefully as part of the new commission they will look at reviewing the awards night.
sledgeross
Guest
Yeah, Gallen played the last 8 games of the year on one leg as well. Still, is the Dally M about the best player, or the best consistent player?
Mals
Guest
Jonathan, I can see your point but that's the way it goes & it was a big IF anyway. Glenn Stewart would have still been 2 points behind Billy without the penalty deduction. Manly won plenty of games so it was easier for Glenn to keep accumulating points plus I can't remember him missing any games through injury which is crucial to keeping yourself in the mix - look at how JT's Dally M charge was derailed.
Patrick Angel
Roar Guru
You realise Bellamy made Widdop what he is, ditto Nielsen. His entire squad was ripped apart and nothing changes. Huge smackdown for Bellamy, and at the awards should have yelled "This is MY House" before strutting off the stage.
Nick the Rooster
Roar Rookie
Firstly, I like to start by saying that the Dally M awards night is a joke and gets worse every year. I don't know what it is about the NRL but every time they put on an event it is laughable. Whoever plans their events needs the boot. Finally, I understand what you're saying about Glenn Stewart, I wouldn't rate him the best player in the league either. But the Dally M is won on how many points you accumulate each week on a 3, 2, 1 basis, and if you get the most points you win. Simple. Where it helps players like him is if he's one of top players in a team that wins a lot he'll poll a lot of points. Personally, I would prefer a system similar to the Brownlow Medal where the referees at each game give the points. In fact, everything the AFL do around the Brownlow is better than what the NRL produce for the Dally M.