Jack Wighton has been crowned the 2020 Dally M Medal winner, becoming the first Canberra Raiders player since Laurie Daley in 1995 to claim the NRL's top individual honour. The 27-year-old five-eighth finished on 26 points, edging out Parramatta's Clint Gutherson (25) and Penrith's Nathan Cleary (24) in a dramatic count.
The ceremony was marred by a leak when the Daily Telegraph accidentally published the winner online before the official announcement. Fox Sports staff confiscated contenders' phones to protect the secret. Wighton said he had no idea of the result, having been written off after missing the final round.
Monday night's event was the first virtual Dally M awards, with players and presenters filming in separate studios. Only the top five contenders—Wighton, Cleary, Gutherson, James Tedesco and Luke Keary—watched from a couch in a studio. Wighton described the experience as 'a bit weird' but said it turned out alright.
Wighton's victory was a shock given the strong seasons of Cleary and Gutherson, but he polled consistently throughout the season. Melbourne's Cameron Smith finished fourth on 22 points despite missing five games. The team of the year included eight players from grand finalists Penrith and Melbourne.
Other winners included Ivan Cleary (coach of the year), Ali Brigginshaw (female player of the year) and Harry Grant (rookie of the year). NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo praised the players for their efforts in an extraordinary season.
