NRL

The Dally M Awards are a distraction grand final players can do without.

That’s the opinion of a man who should know, Jahrome Hughes from the Melbourne Storm who was both the Dally M Medallist and a losing NRL grand finalist in 2024.

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Speaking from first-hand experience on this week’s One Six Seven podcast, Hughes said he believes the NRL’s night of nights should be held after the NRL grand final.

“When I won it that year, 2024, and we played in that grand final I was so drained,” he recalled of the experience.

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“After the Wednesday I couldn’t sleep that night obviously and then I just had interviews the next morning and then had to get up for a massive game on the Sunday,” he added, referring to the 2024 premiership decider that the Storm lost 14-6 to Penrith.

Instead, Hughes says the Dally M Awards should be held after the NRL grand final as it would allow the game’s top players to focus solely on the task at hand of winning a premiership while also providing the opportunity for the winners to genuinely celebrate one of the greatest achievements in rugby league.

“I reckon (the NRL) can do a little bit better… my preference would be straight after the season,” he said.

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‘The sweet spot is after the season’

Having been a teammate of Hughes in 2024 and watching it all unfold from close quarters, former Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen agreed, saying NRL grand final week should be all about the grand final.

“I think the sweet spot is after the season because then you can focus purely on the grand final teams for that week and all the media is around the grand final… it’s not about who wins the award,” Papenhuyzen said, also adding that being crowned the game’s best player is something the winner should be able to fully celebrate.

“It can be a real disadvantage to that person if they are also playing in a grand final. 

“It’s a massive achievement and you want to celebrate it, but there’s also something else to get caught up on. 

“If we want to reward the great teams and great players, then I think you need to change it and make it after the season.”

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