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Cameron Smith has won the second Dally M Medal of his career, cantering home to win the 2017 award by eight votes.
Melbourne Storm skipper Smith also claimed the Captain and Hooker of the Year awards, while his club coach Craig Bellamy took home the Coach of the Year gong.
Dally M top five
1. Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm) – 33 points
2. Michael Morgan (North Queensland Cowboys) – 25 points
3. Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra Dragons) – 24 points
= 4. Luke Keary (South Sydney Rabbitohs) – 22 points
= 4. Paul Gallen (Cronulla Sharks) – 22 points
Dally M Team of the year
Fullback: Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)
Winger: Jordan Rapana (Canberra Raiders)
Centre: Dylan Walker (Manly Sea Eagles)
Five-eighth: Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Halfback: Michael Morgan (North Queensland Cowboys)
Prop: Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)
Hooker: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)
Second Row: Matt Gillett (Brisbane Broncos)
Lock: Paul Gallen (Cronulla Sharks)
Interchange: Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Penrith Panthers)
Coach of the year: Craig Bellamy (Melbourne Storm)
Captain of the year: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)
Provan-Summons medal: Clint Gutherson (Parramatta Eels)
Rookie of the year: Nick Cotric (Canberra Raiders)
Peter Frillingos Memorial Award (headline of the year): Mitchell Pearce field goal on ANZAC Day
Holden Cup player of the year: Jake Clifford (North Queensland Cowboys)
Female player of the year: Simaima Taufa (Jillaroos)
Tackle of the year: Nathan Brown (Parramatta Eels)
Try of the year: Kyle Feldt (North Queensland Cowboys)
Top point-scorer: Nathan Cleary (228)
Top try-scorer: Suliasi Vunivalu (23)
The most prestigious individual award in the NRL, the Dally M Medal looks to be going the way of Cameron Smith, but could there be a surprise? Join The Roar for live updates and coverage of all the votes and other awards. starting from 8:30pm (AEST).
When voting went behind closed doors at the end of Round 14 – note that it’s two rounds earlier than last season – Smith had a five-point lead.
To think he surrendered that over the second half of the season, given Melbourne lost barely any games from that point, is almost incomprehensible.
Even if Smith didn’t poll in the State of Origin series, it’s still going to take a ridiculously consistent performance for anyone to climb up and rip the award away from him.
Given the Warriors’ formline over the second half of the season, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is no chance, while Mitchell Pearce, who also had 15 votes and was five behind Smith won’t have polled enough.
The problem for Pearce, apart from the Roosters up-and-down play, is that he wasn’t the superstar on the team. The Bondi-based team didn’t have a single star, and so players would have been ripping points off each other all the time – Pearce did play very well during the first half of the season though.
Paul Gallen stayed strong during the second half of the season, but the Sharks probably didn’t win enough, while Paul Vaughan fell away and was inconsistent.
Smith’s teammate, Queensland and Australian fullback Billy Slater, along with Dragons player of the year Gareth Widdop are probably the first two names that jump out as genuine contenders – and maybe the only two.
Slater and Widdop, as well as Eels’ half Corey Norman were all seven points behind when voting went behind closed doors. Slater’s form only went from strength to strength, but to make up a gap of seven seems unlikely given they would have been stealing votes off each other in Melbourne.
While the Dragons went from flop to flop in the second half of the year, Widdop was their best by the length of the straight. Nearly every time the Red V won he would have received three points and even when they lost, he would have been the one getting points.
Maybe the more intriguing question is who will be named coach and captain of the year. Brad Arthur, Paul Green and Craig Bellamy all seem in the running for coach, while Smith could well take out captain as well.
Prediction
Smith has only won the Dally M once during his career. While Cronk and Slater have won it three times between them during that time period, Smith is about to rise up and grab a second.
Smith to beat Slater and Widdop by plenty.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the 2017 Dally M Medal ceremony from 8:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.