Nicho Hynes has provided an upset in the Dally M Medal count, romping home to poll 38 votes which is the highest number ever achieved. The Cronulla halfback beat out the likes of James Tedesco and Ben Hunt to claim the game's most prestigious individual honour.
Elsewhere, Todd Payten was recognised for his incredible work with the Cowboys by being named the Coach of the Year, while his star backrower Jeremiah Nanai was crowned the NRL's Rookie of the Year.
Here's everything you need to know about the Dally M 2022.
DALLY M MEDAL 2022 AWARDS LIST
| AWARD | WINNER |
| Dally M Medal | Nicho Hynes | Raecene McGregor |
| Provan-Summons Medal (People's Choice) | Nicho Hynes | Toni Hunt |
| Rookie of the Year | Jeremiah Nanai | Jesse Southwell |
| Coach of the Year | Todd Payten | John Strange |
| Captain of the Year | Isaah Yeo | Isabelle Kelly |
| Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year | Queensland's Origin victory | Jada Taylor try |
| Ken Irvine Medal (Top Try-Scorer) | Alex Johnston | Jayme Fressard |
| Top Pointscorer | Valentine Holmes | Zahara Temara |
| Try of the Year | Scott Drinkwater | Tarryn Aiken |
| Tackle of the Year | Mitchell Moses | Tarryn Aiken |
DALLY M MEDAL 2022 TOP FIVE LEADERBOARD
| Pos. | Name | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nicho Hynes | Cronulla Sharks | 38 |
| 2nd | James Tedesco | Sydney Roosters | 33 |
| 3rd | Ben Hunt | St George Illawarra Dragons | 32 |
| 4th | Dylan Edwards | Penrith Panthers | 23 |
| =4th | Scott Drinkwater | North Queensland Cowboys | 23 |
NRL Team of the Year
FULLBACK - JAMES TEDESCO
WINGERS - ALEX JOHNSTON & JOSEPH SUAALII
CENTRES - VALENTINE HOLMES & JOEY MANU
FIVE-EIGHTH - CAMERON MUNSTER
HALFBACK - NICHO HYNES
SECOND-ROWERS - VILIAME KIKAU & JEREMIAH NANAI
HOOKER - API KOROISAU
PROPS - PAYNE HAAS & JOSEPH TAPINE
LOCK - ISAAH YEO
What a TEAM! 💥#DallyM pic.twitter.com/3WWv3h7QAu
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
NRLW Team of the Year
Fullback — SAM BREMNER
Winger — TEAGAN BERRY
Winger — JAIME CHAPMAN
Centre — ISABELLE KELLY
Centre — JESSICA SERGIS
Five-Eighth — TARRYN AIKEN
Halfback — RAECENE McGREGOR
Prop — CAITLAN JOHNSTON
Prop — MILLIE BOYLE
Hooker — KEELEY DAVIS
Second Row — KEILEE JOSEPH
Second Row — OLIVIA KERNICK
Lock — SIMAIMA TAUFA
Tackle of the Year - Mitchell Moses
Mitchell Moses gets PHYSICAL with the Tackle of the Year! 😤 pic.twitter.com/0xpQ6DjpIO
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Try of the Year - Scott Drinkwater
Murray Taulagi and Scott Drinkwater combine to score the Try of the Year! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/aWEuIe2MCp
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Rookie of the Year - Jeremiah Nanai
A breakout season from Jeremiah Nanai! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UzNuzwPpk7
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Captain of the Year - Isaah Yeo
Your #DallyM Captain of the Year - Isaah Yeo 🙌 pic.twitter.com/z5EoqEfhI1
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Provan-Summons Medal winner - Nicho Hynes
Your Provan-Summons Medal winner - Nicho Hynes 👏 pic.twitter.com/CLOxXFPayx
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Coach of the Year- Todd Payten
Your #DallyM Coach of the Year - Todd Payten 🤠 pic.twitter.com/gZ3tgDD81D
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
Dally M Medal winner - Nicho Hynes
Your #DallyM Player of the Year - Nicho Hynes 🏆 pic.twitter.com/B9xZl5he7I
— NRL (@NRL) September 28, 2022
HOW DOES THE DALLY M VOTING SYSTEM WORK?
Each game of the regular season, an independent judge will vote on a 3-2-1 basis for the best player in that particular game.
The judges include past players and rugby league experts.
A player who is suspended for one game during the season will be deducted three points, while any player who is suspended for two or more weeks will be ruled out of winning the Dally M Medal.
HOW IS THE DALLY M TEAM OF THE YEAR DECIDED?
Similarly to the Dally M Medal, the 'Team of the Year' is decided by the voting panel.
Any time a player polls a vote in a game, that will go towards their standing in the Team of the Year voting.
At the end of the season, the judges will then give one vote in each position and whoever polls the most votes in each position will be selected in the Team of the Year.
In 2017, the NRL brought in an Interchange Player of the Year and in 2020 they moved to picking two players in a dual position (wing, centre, prop, second-row).
DALLY M MEDAL PAST WINNERS
| YEAR | WINNER |
| 1979 | Steve Morris (Dragons) |
| 1980 | Robert Laurie (Rabbitohs) |
| 1981 | Steve Rogers (Sharks) |
| 1982 | Ray Price (Eels) |
| 1983 | Terry Lamb (Magpies) |
| 1984 | Mick Potter (Bulldogs) |
| 1985 | Greg Alexander (Panthers) |
| 1986 | Peter Sterling (Eels) |
| 1987 | Peter Sterling (Eels) |
| 1988 | Gavin Miller (Sharks) |
| 1989 | Gavin Miller (Sharks) |
| 1990 | Cliff Lyons (Sea Eagles) |
| 1991 | Mick Potter (Dragons) |
| 1992 | Gary Freeman (Roosters) |
| 1993 | Ricky Stuart (Raiders) |
| 1994 | Cliff Lyons (Sea Eagles) |
| 1995 | Laurie Daley (Raiders) |
| 1996 | Allan Langer (Broncos) |
| 1998 | Andrew Johns (Knights) |
| 1999 | Andrew Johns (Knights) |
| 2000 | Trent Barrett (Dragons) |
| 2001 | Preston Campbell (Panthers) |
| 2002 | Andrew Johns (Knights) |
| 2004 | Danny Buderus (Knights) |
| 2005 | Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys) |
| 2006 | Cameron Smith (Storm) |
| 2007 | Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys) |
| 2008 | Matt Orford (Sea Eagles) |
| 2009 | Jarryd Hayne (Eels) |
| 2010 | Todd Carney (Roosters) |
| 2011 | Billy Slater (Storm) |
| 2012 | Ben Barba (Bulldogs) |
| 2013 | Cooper Cronk (Storm) |
| 2014 | Jarryd Hayne (Eels)/Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys) |
| 2015 | Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys) |
| 2016 | Cooper Cronk (Storm)/Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) |
| 2017 | Cameron Smith (Storm) |
| 2018 | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) |
| 2019 | James Tedesco (Roosters) |
| 2020 | Jack Wighton (Raiders) |
| 2021 | Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles) |