Dally M 2020: When is it, how to watch, previous winners, who will win

In the midst of the most unique NRL season in history, the battle for the Dally M Medal may be the most unpredictable we have seen.

Following on from James Tedesco's win last year, so much has changed across the competition and there may be a new winner this season.

With a plethora of injuries, intense COVID-19 protocols and a huge gap between the top and bottom sides in the NRL, it is hard to decipher a potential winner.

Read below for all the latest information on the 2020 Dally M Medal.

WHEN IS THE 2020 DALLY M MEDAL CEREMONY?

The 2020 Dally M Medal ceremony will take place on Monday, 19th October at 7.30pm. 

The event will be live from Fox Sports studios in Sydney, with award winners attending. 

WHAT CHANNEL IS THE DALLY M MEDAL CEREMONY ON?

Each year, the event is broadcast on Fox League. 

2020 DALLY M MEDAL AWARD WINNERS

For all the winners of awards as they're announced, head over here.

HOW DOES VOTING FOR THE DALLY M MEDAL WORK?

Each game during the regular season, an expert will vote on a 3-2-1 basis for the best player each game.

The votes are then tallied up each week and made public until round 12, before they go behind closed doors.

No votes are awarded for finals fixtures. 

NRL MAKE MAJOR CHANGES TO TEAM OF THE YEAR CATEGORY

In past seasons, the Dally M Team of the Year had been awarded to one player only in each position.

But this season, the NRL has introduced a new system which will see the TOTY category go from 1-13. 

This means that wingers, centres, props and second-rowers will all have two players as they would in a normal rugby league game.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said it is designed to show fans what the best NRL side would look like on paper.

"It will give our fans the chance to see on paper what the very best NRL team would look like," he said.

"We’ve never seen this before. There will be plenty of discussion and debate among our fans on comparing their selections which is a positive.

"Origin and Test Matches all have selection restrictions, this team will be the best possible in each and every position from 1 to 13."

FULL LIST OF DALLY M AWARDS

While the top prize is the Dally M Medal, there are plenty of other awards up for grabs.

• Dally M Medal (Player of the Year)
• Provan Summons Medal
• Captain of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Peter Frilingos' Award - Headline Moment of the Year 
• Team of the Year (fullback, wing, centre, five-eighth, halfback, prop, hooker, second-row, lock, interchange)
• Female Player of the Year

Each positional award is based on the votes 

WHO IS FAVOURITE TO WIN THE DALLY M MEDAL?

In past seasons, it has been easier to get a gage on who the favourite to win the top prize is by the betting market.

But after a huge betting scandal last year, the NRL has banned all betting on all the awards.

Before the votes went behind closed doors, Harry Grant was in the lead on 13 points. 

Cameron Smith, Clint Gutherson, Jason Taumalolo and Shaun Johnson were just behind the Tigers hooker. 

Panthers playmaker Nathan Cleary was also near the top, but will find it hard to win after being docked six points due to a suspension. (UPDATE, actually that decision has been overturned)

CAN FANS BET ON THE DALLY M WINNER?

Sadly, none of the exotic markets for Dally M betting will be available in 2020 after the utter debacle of 2019 where the NRL Integrity Unit reported suspicious betting activity on the Coach of the Year award, with Storm coach Craig Bellamy coming in from a $7 outsider to $1.80 favourite above Manly's Des Hasler, Canberra's Ricky Stuart and the Eels' Brad Arthur. 

PREVIOUS DALLY M MEDAL WINNERS