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Dennis Tutty Award

About

The Dennis Tutty Award is awarded annually to a current Rugby League 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
In 2021, a player from each of the NRL and NRLW competitions were honoured with the Dennis Tutty Award.

Dennis Tutty Awardees

  • 2023 Chelsea Lenarduzzi
  • 2023 Wade Graham
  • 2022 Hannah Southwell
  • 2022 Wade Graham
  • 2021 Ali Brigginshaw
  • 2020 Blake Green
  • 2019 David Gower
  • 2018 Jason Nightingale
  • 2017 James Maloney
  • 2016 Dene Halatau
  • 2015 Tom Symonds
  • 2014 Nate Myles
  • 2013 Clint Newton
  • 2012 Robbie Farah
  • 2011 Andrew Ryan
  • 2010 Petero Civoniceva
  • 2009 Michael Gordon
  • 2008 Jason King

FAQs – The Players’ Awards awards

What are The Players’ Awards (NRL & NRLW)?

The Players’ Awards are the Rugby League Players’ Associations awards and are voted for by NRL and NRLW players.

The Players’ Awards consist of:

(a) The Players’ Champion (NRL & NRLW)

(b) The Players’ Rookie of the Year (NRL & NRLW)

(c) The Players’ Dream Team (NRL & NRLW)

(d) The Dennis Tutty Award (NRL & NRLW)

Who is eligible to vote in The Players’ Awards (NRL & NRLW)?
All contracted NRL and NRLW players are eligible to vote in The Players’ Awards.
How does the voting process work?

An online survey is distributed to all contracted NRL and NRLW players.

For the individual The Players’ Champion award, players are asked to nominate in a 3/2/1 point system (3 being allocated to the player they believe has performed the best) their choice for the best performers in that season from the Contenders List (opposition players only).

Players also enter one vote for the Players’ Rookie of the Year, and a one (1) vote for each of the nine (9) positions to make up The Players’ Dream Team (13 players will make the final list).

This revised voting process was implemented in 2022.

What is the Contenders List?

To streamline the voting process, four players from each club are nominated as Contenders to be eligible for The Players’ Champion. This process takes place prior to the voting period, with RLPA Delegates and Player Leaders at each Club asked to put forward the three best players from their own team. An RLPA Working Group nominates a fourth player to round out the nomination process. In total, 64 players (four from each team) are eligible to receive votes in the end of season poll.

What happens in the event of a tie?
Where players finish on the same amount of points through the voting system, the player who received the most three (3) point nominations will be awarded the honour. Should both players finish on the same amount of three (3) point nominations, joint winners will be announced.
Are players penalised for suspensions/fines handed down by the NRL?
No. Players receive no penalty for suspension or fines.
How does the process for The Players’ Awards (NRLW) work?

The Players’ Dream Team (NRL and NRLW) are awarded each season to the 13 best players voted by position, and players are eligible for selection in a position they primarily played for the relevant season.

This means a player cannot be eligible for selection in more than one position.

Each player will be able to nominate a maximum of one (1) player per position, out of the list of eligible players. Players can only vote for opposition players.

This revised voting process was revised and implemented for the 2021 NRLW season and 2022 NRL season.

How are the Dennis Tutty Awards decided?

The RLPA Board of Directors determine the winner of the Dennis Tutty award each year based on the following criteria.

The Dennis Tutty Award will be awarded annually to a current Rugby League Player who has demonstrated outstanding:

  1. Leadership on and off the field;
  2. Commitment to his fellow Players and to the advancement and protection of their rights; and
  3. Service and dedication to the game of Rugby League

RLPA staff are eligible to nominate a player for the Dennis Tutty Award and may do so by written application to the RLPA Board addressing the criteria above, with the final determination made by the RLPA Board.

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