10 Potential Dally M Medal Winners of the Future

The Dally M Medal is the NRL's most prestigious award, given to the NRL’s best and fairest player of the season. The award is named after late Eastern Suburbs player Dally Messenger who was rugby league’s first big name player during the game’s inception. Here is a list of ten players who will be vying for the award over the next decade! Let us know if there is anyone missing from the list in the comments below! Nathan Cleary [caption id="attachment_23981" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 30: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers looks on during the round 21 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Penrith Panthers at Mt Smart Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)[/caption] It’s well known that Nathan Cleary is the son of former Sydney Roosters player and current Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary. Ever since his NRL debut in 2016, he is becoming more known as Nathan Cleary a future star, as opposed to Nathan Cleary the son of Ivan. Cleary has the potential to become one of, if not the, greatest goal kickers of all time. In 2017 alone he has (as of the 10th of August) kicked 72 goals out of 82 attempts. This leaves him with a goal kicking average of 87.80% for the season! He is also an amazing in-play kicker as well. At this moment in time, Cleary has 6,000 kicking metres which puts him at 3rd in the entire NRL. The 19-year-old has also proven he is a born leader. In the multiple absences of Matt Moylan this season, Cleary has stepped up and controlled the ruck making the Penrith Panthers his team that he has control over. Since Moylan has become Cleary’s halves partner, the Panthers have gone 3-0 in games where Moylan is out and Cleary is in the leading halves role. If Cleary can continuously improve each year and find a way to control the Panthers ruck even with Moylan and make them his team, he could very well be a future NRL Dally M medal winner. Cameron Munster [caption id="attachment_21823" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 28: Cameron Munster of the Storm runs the ball during the round four NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm at Southern Cross Group Stadium on March 28, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)[/caption] In a couple of years, the big 3 (Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater) will all be gone from the Melbourne Storm. This will leave the people of Melbourne looking for a player that can lead them into the next era. There is a good chance that man will be Cameron Munster. He has proven he is a flexible player that can play in both the five-eighth role and in the fullback role when Billy Slater is injured. If Munster is to stay with the Storm after the big 3 leave he will have full control of the Melbourne Storm around the ruck. No longer will he play third fiddle to Cronk and Smith, he will have to take up the responsibility of directing the Melbourne Storm his way. He has proven this to be true in the one game he has played for Queensland. In his first game for the Maroons, Munster was key in the win over the Blues as he took control of ruck and created some key plays that set the Queenslanders up in a good position to attack. He is likely to be the future of the Melbourne Storm for years to come along with a Dally M medal threat. Jake Trbojevic [caption id="attachment_28743" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 15: Jake Trbojevic of Manly is tackled during the round seven NRL match between the Manly Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm at Lottoland on April 15, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)[/caption] Okay so he may not be the first name that comes to your mind for this list, some people would even rate his brother over him (don’t worry you’ll see Tom later) but it is hard to deny that he has a very bright future in the NRL. Trbojevic has already represented New South Wales and Australia. Although maybe not living up to expectations in his first Origin series, Trbojevic has been amazing for his club the Manly Sea Eagles. In 2017 he has 2,734 running metres and is influential at a young age as Manly’s lead front man. It’s very likely that Trbojevic could become Manly’s captain in the coming years and if he can spearhead Manly to a series of finals, he could one day be a Dally M medal winner. Ashley Taylor [caption id="attachment_23637" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 01: Ashley Taylor of the Titans during the round 21 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Cronulla Sharks at Cbus Super Stadium on August 1, 2016 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jason O'Brien/Getty Images)[/caption] Although he hasn’t had a taste of representative football yet or gone further than the first week of the finals, Ashley Taylor is one of the best players at the Gold Coast Titans. If Titans can continue to grow as a team they will have a bright future in the NRL, but if Taylor wants to win a Dally M medal he may have to move clubs. If Taylor wants the Dally M medal he may need to find a team where he is still the first choice halfback but has other quality players around him. Although Taylor has a lot of control around the Titans, if he can go to a stronger club and still be the player controlling the ruck he could potentially make an influence, and potentially win the Dally M medal one day. Tom Trbojevic [caption id="attachment_24134" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 20: Tom Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles looks on during the round 15 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Manly Sea Eagles at Cbus Super Stadium on June 20, 2016 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)[/caption] Although brother Jake may be seen in future as more of a leader at the Manly Sea Eagles, Tom Trbojevic may one day be seen as one of the best and most exciting players in the NRL. Trbojevic is already beginning to gain the notability as other fullbacks such as Billy Slater, Jarryd Hayne and James Tedesco. He was likely to play for New South Wales this year but was ruled out due to injury. Tom Trbojevic has the third most line breaks in the NRL this season with 18 and is only 3 line breaks off the leader Jordan Rapana. He also has the 5th most line break assists only 3 away from leader Luke Keary. This just goes to show that Trbojevic can play opposing roles effectively. He can set-up Manly’s tries with a line break assist or score them himself with a line break. If he can boost his ratings up in these categories he may not only win the top try scorer award but the Dally M medal as well. Mitchell Moses [caption id="attachment_27603" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 26: Mitchell Moses of the Eels in action during the round 12 NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium on May 26, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)[/caption] This season alone Mitchell Moses has proven he is one of the signings of the year. After dipping in and out of form at the Tigers, Moses looks like he has become more comfortable in the stronger side of the Parramatta Eels. He is one of the big reasons why Parramatta has been in-form this season, purely because of the hype around him being there and the trust he has instilled in the other players. He and Corey Norman are able to share control of the ruck and when Moses is in control, he has players getting into better positions. It may be hard, especially with Clint Gutherson also in the mix, but the way for Moses to be a stand out Dally M medal winner one day will be for him to take control at the Eels and be the lead half in a near grand final winning year for the Eels. Anthony Milford [caption id="attachment_26743" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 21: Anthony Milford of the Broncos celebrates kicking a field goal during the round eight NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium on April 21, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)[/caption] Although having an average first Origin game for Queensland and not having the hype around him that he has in other years, Anthony Milford is still one of the bright young stars in the NRL’s future. Next season in particular with Ben Hunt heading to the St.George-Illawarra Dragons, Milford will be the lead half at the Broncos. If it becomes true that Jack Bird will play in the centres next season, that will leave Kodi Nikorima to expectedly play second fiddle to Milford. If the Brisbane Broncos dominate it will be in large part due to Milford's contributions, as he will be the Broncos lead star. If this Dally M medal prediction becomes true, it could even be next season. James Maloney [caption id="attachment_28377" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: James Maloney of the Sharks runs the ball during the round three NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Southern Cross Group Stadium on March 19, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)[/caption] Yes, James Maloney is ageing and if he wants to win a Dally M medal he’s going to have to do it pretty soon. Over time, Maloney has proven that he is the best five-eighth in New South Wales and one of the best in the NRL. He has gone from being in Shaun Johnson’s shadow to being one of the key players in the Sydney Roosters winning the 2013 NRL Grand Final. He was a front man in the Sydney Roosters side that won the minor premiership from 2013-2015 and at his first season at the Cronulla Sharks led them to a Grand Final win in 2016. There are a lot of rumours though and it's unclear where Maloney will be next season. Could a new team propel him to Dally M glory? Kalyn Ponga [caption id="attachment_27992" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 15: Kalyn Ponga of the Cowboys makes a break during the round seven NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the North Queensland Cowboys at WIN Stadium on April 15, 2017 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)[/caption] Now to the kid who was an unpopular choice in the 10 Players Who Could be the Next Immortal list. Although Ponga has done next to nothing in the NRL so far, all of this hype around him suggests this is soon to change. It is unfair to look at Ponga’s NRL stats as he has barely played but there are other things that could potentially turn Ponga into a Dally M medal winner. This season he has been a star player for the North Queensland Cowboys Holden Cup team, and although Holden Cup is different to first grade he will still likely verse some of those same players later in his career. Ponga will be the Knights multi-million dollar man from 2018 until 2021 but unless the Knights can recruit some higher quality players to play with him, a Dally M medal in this time looks unlikely. Ponga’s future (and the Knights) is unknown right now, so as before we’ll just have to wait and see. Jayden Brailey [caption id="attachment_28061" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES - APRIL 22: Jayden Brailey of the Sharks looks dejected after their team's defeat in the round eight NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Gold Coast Titans at Southern Cross Group Stadium on April 22, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)[/caption] Speaking of players you may not expect to win a certain award here is Jayden Brailey. Brailey has already proven he can be the best player in a league, winning the Dally M Holden Cup Player of the Year in 2016. He has also been a surprisingly good replacement for Cronulla Sharks retiree Michael Ennis so far. Before Brailey’s injury, the Sharks were doing well, looking like a main stay in the Top 4. Since his injury though they have been dipping out of form. Obviously, he isn’t the whole reason but it is evident he is missed. He could become the NRL’s Dally M medal winner one day by doing his job at hooker but also stand out more by improving his defence and controlling more plays by actually setting up the halves.