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Posted by RLPA

April 10, 2022

Players crown their Champion

St George Illawarra Dragons fullback Emma Tonegato has been crowned The Players’ Champion, as voted by her NRLW peers. Camplify is proud to be the official supporter of the 2021 NRLW Players’ Champion award.

Tonegato beat out fellow finalists Elise Albert, Millie Boyle, Evania Pelite and Botille Vette-Welsh to take out the player-voted award. The Players’ Champion voting is open to all NRLW players and is a 3-2-1 voting system.

Tonegato was announced as the Rugby League Players Association’s Players’ Champion live on Channel Nine during their coverage of the 2021 NRLW Grand Final in Redcliffe.

The Players’ Champion voting was based on regular season games before the finals. Tonegato helped lead her Dragons side to second place on the NRLW ladder, scoring three tries and assisting three other tries in the process. In her five regular season games, Tonegato also made four line breaks and broke 20 tackles.

Tonegato claimed the player-voted Players’ Champion honour after sharing the Dally M award with fellow Players’ Champion finalist Millie Boyle.

Gold Coast Titans lock Destiny Brill has been chosen by her peers as the Rookie of the Year, beating a field containing almost half of the NRLW players from the 2021 season.

Brill helped her Titans side to a finals appearance in their debut NRLW season. During the regular season she scored a try against the Parramatta Eels, had one try assist, 33 tackle breaks, seven offloads, made over 20 tackles every game and ran for over 100m in two games.

Lina Caccamo, the RLPA’s General Manager of Elite Women and International Relations said:

“We are pleased to announce Emma Tonegato as the 2021 Players’ Champion, as voted by the players. As the premier player-voted award in the NRLW, it is a remarkable recognition for any player to win The Players’ Champion. Emma has absolutely excelled this season and her efforts on field have created highlights and memories that all fans will enjoy. 


“The quality of the NRLW has been incredible and we also congratulate Elsie, Millie, Evania and Botille for being Players’ Champion finalists. It was no doubt a very hard choice for the players to pick their Players’ Champion.

“Destiny’s contribution to the competition has been phenomenal and she showed what a prodigious talent she is. Being Rookie of the Year is a massive honour, and we know this is just the start of something special. We look forward to watching Destiny’s career and what she will contribute to the competition and the growth of the game.

Clint Newton, Chief Executive Officer of the RLPA,said:

“Emma Tonegato’s tackle on Jess Sergis was an NRLW classic moment leaving all Rugby League fans wanting more. That moment and many others made her an incredibly worthy winner and the RLPA is proud to call her the 2021 Players’ Champion.”

“They may battle it out on the field in Australia’s hardest, most physical and skilful sport, but the players also have huge respect for each other, and every one of the players are essential to the competition’s success. The Players’ Champion is an important demonstration of the respect these players have for each other.”

“We congratulate Destiny on being voted as the Rookie of the Year by her NRLW peers. There were 75 rookies contracted to the competition this season out of 144 players. To be voted as Rookie of the Year in such a large field is an amazing honour for a player who has a huge future in rugby league.”

Camplify is proud to be the official supporter of the 2021 NRLW Players’ Champion award.

Justin Hales, CEO of Camplify said: 

“A huge congratulations to Emma Tonegato for being named the 2021 Players’ Champion. What an incredible achievement. Emma has continuously demonstrated that she is a brilliant role model for young rugby league players around Australia. We at Camplify look forward to sending her on an exciting road trip in one of the local neighbourhood vans available on our platform during her off-season.”

Just like The Players’ Dream Team, the Rookie of the Year and The Players’ Champion are voted for by the players. Each of the three player-voted awards are voted for separately. 

The Players’ Champion:

Emma Tonegato (Dragons)

The Rookie of the Year

Destiny Brill (Titans)

The Players’ Dream Team

1. Emma Tonegato (Dragons)

2. Karina Brown (Titans)

3. Jaime Chapman (Dragons)

4. Shenae Ciesiolka (Broncos)

5. Teagan Berry (Dragons)

6. Taliah Fuimaono (Dragons)

7. Rachael Pearson (Dragons)

8. Elsie Albert (Dragons)

9. Lauren Brown (Broncos)

10. Millie Boyle (Broncos)

11. Amber Hall (Broncos)

12. Shaniah Power (Titans)

13. Destiny Brill (Titans)

The Dennis Tutty Award

The Dennis Tutty Award will be awarded to an NRLW player who has demonstrated outstanding leadership on and off the field, commitment to their fellow players and to the advancement and protection of their rights, and service and dedication to the game of rugby league. The Dennis Tutty Award winner will be announced next week.

About Camplify:

Camplify is Australia’s largest and fastest-growing campervan, motorhome and caravan sharing community. They’re safely connecting holidaymakers with thousands of unique neighbourhood vans available to hire for their next outdoor adventure.

Founded and headquartered in Newcastle, Australia, Camplify now offers more than 7,000 vans for hire in Australia, New Zealand, The UK and Spain. Camplify is ASX listed and recognised as one of Australia’s fastest-growing Companies ranking #17 in AFR’s 2021 Fast 100 Companies List.

Camplify’s vision is to empower their growing community of RV owners to make outdoor adventures accessible everywhere and help more hirers enjoy van life. So far, Camplify has helped travellers enjoy over 2 million nights under the stars and paid out over $35 million in earnings to local van owners, helping them to save for holidays, pay off loans or even start their own van adventure business.

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