In one of the most clear cut rounds of the 2025 NRL season to date, five players earned unanimous best on ground rights as Terrell May extended his lead in Zero Tackle's NRL MVP race.
May was one of the five players to record perfect marks in Round 8 as he turned in another barnstorming performance that must have him surely on the cusp of playing State of Origin.
He was joined throughout the weekend by Adam Reynolds, who mastermined Brisbane's demolition of South Sydney, Sandon Smith, who was phenomenal in the Sydney Roosters' Anzac Day win over the St George Illawarra Dragons, Eliesa Katoa for the Melbourne Storm, and Tom Dearden who came up with five try assists in North Queensland's big win over the Gold Coast Titans.
Elsewhere, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Luke Metcalf for the New Zealand Warriors, Haumole Olakau'atu and Daly Cherry-Evans for the Manly Sea Eagles, and Hudson Young and Jamal Fogarty were all named as the man of the match by at least one judge.
May's perfect 20 means he now leads the MVP race after eight rounds by 17 votes ahead of Payne Haas, who landed fours from each judge during Round 8 to score 16.
Hudson Young and James Tedesco, who now sit third and fourth, did exactly the same for their respective clubs to be in fourth and fifth, while Jye Gray now drops to fifth after failing to score for a second consecutive week.
Impressive performances from William Kennedy and Patrick Carrigan see them heading in the right direction, while Clint Gutherson, Olakau'atu and Cameron Munster round out the top ten.
During every round of the 2025 NRL season, four judges from Zero Tackle's team (founder Matt Clements, writers Ethan Lee Chalk and Dan Nichols, and myself as editor), will assign votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis for every game during the season, with results to be published each week here on Zero Tackle.
Without any further ado, here are the votes from Round 8.
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Adam Reynolds | Adam Reynolds | Adam Reynolds | Adam Reynolds |
| 4 | Payne Haas | Payne Haas | Payne Haas | Payne Haas |
| 3 | Selwyn Cobbo | Patrick Carrigan | Patrick Carrigan | Xavier Willison |
| 2 | Patrick Carrigan | Xavier Willison | Xavier Willison | Selwyn Cobbo |
| 1 | Xavier Willison | Selwyn Cobbo | Selwyn Cobbo | Patrick Carrigan |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Sandon Smith | Sandon Smith | Sandon Smith | Sandon Smith |
| 4 | James Tedesco | James Tedesco | James Tedesco | James Tedesco |
| 3 | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Naufahu Whyte | Naufahu Whyte | Naufahu Whyte |
| 2 | Daniel Tupou | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Mark Nawaqanitawase |
| 1 | Naufahu Whyte | Hugo Savala | Daniel Tupou | Blake Steep |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Luke Metcalf |
| 4 | Adam Pompey | Erin Clark | Erin Clark | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| 3 | Jackson Ford | Wayde Egan | Jackson Ford | Leka Halasima |
| 2 | Erin Clark | Adam Pompey | Adam Pompey | Wayde Egan |
| 1 | Greg Marzhew | Jackson Ford | Greg Marzhew | Jackson Ford |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa |
| 4 | Cameron Munster | Jack Wighton | Cameron Munster | Cameron Munster |
| 3 | Trent Loiero | Cameron Munster | Xavier Coates | Jack Wighton |
| 2 | Jack Wighton | Trent Loiero | Jack Wighton | Sua Fa'alogo |
| 1 | Xavier Coates | Joe Chan | Sua Fa'alogo | Trent Loiero |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Tom Dearden | Tom Dearden | Tom Dearden | Tom Dearden |
| 4 | Robert Derby | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater | Jeremiah Nanai |
| 3 | Jeremiah Nanai | Robert Derby | Robert Derby | Scott Drinkwater |
| 2 | Reece Robson | Jeremiah Nanai | Jeremiah Nanai | Robert Derby |
| 1 | Scott Drinkwater | Reece Robson | Jaxon Purdue | Murray Taulagi |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Haumole Olakau'atu | Haumole Olakau'atu | Daly Cherry-Evans | Haumole Olakau'atu |
| 4 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Daly Cherry-Evans | Haumole Olakau'atu | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| 3 | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic |
| 2 | Izack Tago | Izack Tago | Reuben Garrick | Jake Simpkin |
| 1 | Jake Simpkin | Jake Simpkin | Tolutau Koula | Izack Tago |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Hudson Young | Jamal Fogarty | Hudson Young | Jamal Fogarty |
| 4 | Joseph Tapine | Joseph Tapine | Jamal Fogarty | Hudson Young |
| 3 | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko | Joseph Tapine |
| 2 | Jamal Fogarty | Hudson Young | Joseph Tapine | Kaeo Weekes |
| 1 | Kaeo Weekes | Kaeo Weekes | Kaeo Weekes | Isaiya Katoa |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Terrell May | Terrell May | Terrell May | Terrell May |
| 4 | Addin Fonua-Blake | William Kennedy | William Kennedy | Lachlan Galvin |
| 3 | Lachlan Galvin | Addin Fonua-Blake | Lachlan Galvin | William Kennedy |
| 2 | William Kennedy | Lachlan Galvin | Addin Fonua-Blake | Addin Fonua-Blake |
| 1 | Ronaldo Mulitalo | Samuela Fainu | Jahream Bula | Ronaldo Mulitalo |
Top Ten
| PLAYER | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terrell May |
20 | 107 |
| 2 | Payne Haas |
16 | 90 |
| 3 | Hudson Young |
16 | 85 |
| 4 | James Tedesco |
16 | 82 |
| 5 | Jye Gray |
0 | 79 |
| 6 | William Kennedy |
13 | 71 |
| 7 | Patrick Carrigan |
9 | 67 |
| 8 | Clinton Gutherson |
0 | 64 |
| 9 | Haumole Olakau'atu |
19 | 63 |
| 10 | Cameron Munster |
15 | 62 |
