The Dally M Medal is an annual award given to the player voted as the Player of the year over the National Rugby League regular season. The award is named after Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger, who was instrumental in the establishment of rugby league football in Australia. The award was originally established in 1979 by The Daily Mirror newspaper and is currently held by Kalyn Ponga (2023) .
The Dally M Medal recognises the games best player on a 3-2-1 voting basis throughout the regular season. The player who polls the highest number of votes is awarded the medal. The NRL confirmed a change to the Dally M Medal voting system for 2023, following concerns around the integrity of the game’s highest individual honour. In a significant overhaul to the process, votes are now awarded by a panel of former players and coaches, with the final three rounds of voting conducted on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis.
In addition to the Dally M Medal, awards are also given for other categories such as the Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and the Provan-Summons Medal. The Dally M Team of the Year is chosen based on the player(s) who polls the highest number of votes in each position, with players who finish in the top 3 of the Dally M Medal automatically receiving their position in the Team of the Year.
Any player who is suspended for two or more matches in any one season immediately becomes ineligible for the Dally M Awards. Any player who is suspended is deducted three Dally M Medal points for each week of suspension. The Dally M medallist, as well as the positional award winners, are crowned at a ceremony during the finals series. The player who has won the most Dally M Medals is Johnathan Thurston, who won the Dally M medal four times.
