Dally M Awards 2026: Nathan Cleary Won It From His Parents’ House
Nathan Cleary won the first Dally M Medal of his career on Wednesday night, four days after a compound fracture ended his season in a preliminary final. He accepted it by video, from his parents’ home, with his leg in a cast.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for the messages they’ve sent through,” he said, thanking his family, his teammates and his partner Mary Fowler.
Every 2026 Dally M winner
| Dally M Medal (NRL) | Nathan Cleary (Penrith) · 67 votes |
| Dally M Medal (NRLW) | Tamika Upton (Brisbane) · 31 votes |
| Coach of the Year | Andrew Webster (Warriors) · NRLW: Karyn Murphy (Gold Coast) |
| Captain of the Year | James Fisher-Harris (Warriors) · NRLW: Kezie Apps (Wests Tigers) |
| Rookie of the Year | Ethan Sanders · NRLW: Mercedez Taulelei-Siala |
| Try of the Year | Alex Johnston · NRLW: Mackenzie Wiki |
| Provan-Summons Medal | Jai Arrow |
| Ken Stephen Medal | Campbell Graham |
| Veronica White Woman of the Year | Millie Elliott |
It was not close
Cleary finished on 67 votes, fourteen clear of Cronulla’s Braydon Trindall on 53. Winning a season-long player-of-the-year award is one thing; winning it by that margin in a year that ended with him being carried off is another, and it is a reminder that Penrith’s minor premiership was built on him being the best player in the competition for twenty-seven rounds.
Upton makes it three in four
Brisbane fullback Tamika Upton took the NRLW medal on 31 votes, two ahead of Wests Tigers halfback Raecene McGregor. It is her third in four seasons, after 2023 and 2025, and she collected it days out from playing in a grand final.
“To be up here now, doing what I do preparing for a grand final, it’s pretty surreal,” Upton said. Brisbane meet the Roosters in the NRLW decider at 4:00pm on Sunday, a rematch of last year’s.
The one that was not about form
The Provan-Summons Medal went to Jai Arrow, who retired in May after a motor neurone disease diagnosis and will be honoured again before Sunday’s grand final. The Warriors took both coach and captain of the year through Andrew Webster and James Fisher-Harris — a club that did not reach the grand final, which tells you how the season was judged rather than only how it finished.
Grand final day runs from 1:00pm: kick-off times and the full Accor Stadium programme are here.
