Big movement in top ten as forward holds narrow lead: Zero Tackle’s NRL MVP, Round 20

Joseph Tapine, James Tedesco and Cameron Munster have all scored big vote tallies in Round 20, with the race to be crowned Zero Tackle's NRL MVP for 2022 heating up with just five weeks remaining in the regular season.

Tapine entered Round 20 with a four-vote lead after amassing mega totals in the past two months. He managed another 18 votes during the Raiders' win over the Titans, despite being sin binned for ten minutes.

James Tedesco polled a perfect 20 during the Sydney Roosters' win over the Manly Sea Eagles, and as a result has narrowed the gap to just two votes.

Cameron Munster's perfect 20 means he jumps Ben Hunt and Dylan Edwards to move back into third, but is still 21 votes - more than a full maximum game's worth - behind Tapine. Hunt remains close to Munster, while Edwards is further back, with the top four now starting to look as if they will fight out the crown between themselves.

Further down the top ten, big weeks for Joseph Manu, Scott Drinkwater, Jahrome Hughes and Isaiah Papali'i have them all on the up, while a zero for Daly Cherry-Evans has him falling down the pecking order.

Here are all the Round 20 votes.

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters

The Sea Eagles went into Thursday's game with the Roosters minus seven players, and while they held their own, they ultimately fell by ten points as James Tedesco had his way, doing whatever he pleased, whenever he wanted to for the most part. He was voted the unanimous man of the match, while Joseph Manu was also excellent for the tri-colours.

New Zealand Warriors vs Melbourne Storm

The Warriors latest game in their home swing saw them with the tough task of taking on the Melbourne Storm, and while they ultimately fell short, Craig Bellamy's side were still well short of their best in the game. Despite that, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes were the standouts in what could be described as a positive for the club.

Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers

Still only one club have managed to beat the Penrith Panthers this season, although they have now lost two games. Nathan Cleary's send off would dominate the headlines out of this game, but it was Isaiah Papali'i, Mitchell Moses, Dylan Brown and Clint Gutherson who were the standouts for the Eels.

Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders

A high-scoring game on Saturday afternoon saw the Raiders heap more pain on the Titans, who are now sitting outright last on the competition table and with a mountain of work to do. Hudson Young and Joseph Tapine led a forward-dominated win, but Jack Wighton got plenty of credit for a strong effort in the halves.

Cronulla Sharks vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs were forced to go to golden point on Saturday evening in the Shire, with Nicho Hynes stepping up to kick a winning field goal. It was a brutal 80 minutes leading up to that though, with Siosifa Talakai and Cameron McInnes leading the way, while Tevita Tatola was the Rabbitohs' best by a considerable distance.

Brisbane Broncos vs Wests Tigers

The Brisbane Broncos were the recipients of a shock loss on home soil no less during Saturday evening's clash with the Wests Tigers, who played their best game of the season with new halves combination Adam Doueihi and Jock Madden steering the ship while Luke Brooks watched on from the injury bay.

Newcastle Knights vs Canterbury Bulldogs

Things keep going from bad to worse for the Knights, who this time lost to a resurgent Bulldogs outfit at home. Jacob Kiraz showed up his old club with a hat-trick, while Matt Burton, Aaron Schoupp and Braidon Burns were all excellent.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs North Queensland Cowboys

The Dragons hung tough for the best part of an hour against the Cowboys, but ultimately rolled over in what could only be described as a meek surrender. The Cowboys raced through the finish line, with Scott Drinkwater and Jeremiah Nanai leading the way on the back of strong performances from halves Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden.

Top Ten

RANK			LAST ROUND	TOTAL
1		Joseph Tapine	18	187
2		James Tedesco	20	185
3		Cameron Munster	20	166
4		Ben Hunt	0	164
5		Dylan Edwards	0	149
6		Joseph Manu	16	137
6		Scott Drinkwater	20	137
8		Jahrome Hughes	14	133
9		Nicho Hynes	8	131
10		Isaiah Papali'i	20	123

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