Penrith Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards has claimed Zero Tackle's NRL MVP award for 2026, just three votes ahead of teammate and halfback Nathan Cleary at the end of the regular season.
In what has been the closest race since the launch of the MVP system six years ago, five players were still in the mix for the overall prize heading into the last round, although that reduced to four when Roosters boss Trent Robinson decided to rest Naufahu Whyte.
In an anticlimactic ending to the year, Edwards managed two votes in the final game - Penrith's win over the Tigers - while Cleary managed three.
Haumole Olakau'atu finished in third place as a result, just two votes behind Cleary after not scoring, while Whyte holds on to fourth spot despite not playing, with four votes for Scott Drinkwater in the Cowboys' shock loss to the Raiders seeing him hang on to fifth spot.
A perfect game for Drinkwater would have left the table tied at the top.
Braydon Trindall, who missed the final weeks of the season, finishes 40 votes off the pace, dropping to seventh after Herbie Farnworth claimed 12 votes against the Titans, while Sua Fa'alogo, James Tedesco (rested) and Kalyn Ponga all failed to score, but remain in the top ten.
There were no 20-vote players in Round 27, with Payne Haas, Ben Hunt, Josiah Karapani, Hamniso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Cameron Murray, David Fifita, Taine Tuaupiki, Erin Clarke, Te Maire Martin, Coby Blaxk, Xavier Savage, Stefano Utoikamanu, Harry Grant, Dylan Egan, Toby Couchman, Casey McLean and Thomas Jenkins named best on ground by at least one judge.
As a reminder of how this works, our panel, comprising Zero Tackle founder Matt Clements, journalist Leo Twemlow, and writer Dan Nichols, alongside myself as editor, will cast votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis from each game of the premiership season.
Here are all the Round 26 votes, and in the coming days, keep an eye out for team-by-team breakdowns, as well as our teams of the year.
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Payne Haas | Payne Haas | Ben Hunt | Josiah Karapani |
| 4 | Josiah Karapani | Josiah Karapani | Grant Anderson | Ben Hunt |
| 3 | Ben Hunt | Jacob Preston | Lachlan Galvin | Billy Walters |
| 2 | Lachlan Galvin | Lachlan Galvin | Jacob Preston | Payne Haas |
| 1 | Patrick Carrigan | Billy Walters | Josiah Karapani | Lachlan Galvin |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Herbie Farnworth | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
| 4 | Phillip Sami | Jayden Campbell | Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | Herbie Farnworth |
| 3 | Herbie Farnworth | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Isaiya Katoa | Jayden Campbell |
| 2 | Brian Pouniu | Phillip Sami | Phillip Sami | Brian Pouniu |
| 1 | Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | Tevita Naufahu | Lachlan Ilias | Phillip Sami |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Cameron Murray | Cameron Murray | Cameron Murray | David Fifita |
| 4 | David Fifita | David Fifita | Cody Walker | Latrell Mitchell |
| 3 | Latrell Mitchell | Cody Walker | Alex Johnston | Cameron Murray |
| 2 | Cody Walker | Alex Johnston | Latrell Mitchell | Alex Johnston |
| 1 | Alex Johnston | Tevita Tatola | Jamie Humphreys | Cody Ramsey |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Taine Tuaupiki | Erin Clark | Te Maire Martin | Taine Tuaupiki |
| 4 | Tom Trbojevic | Caleb Navale | Tom Trbojevic | Erin Clark |
| 3 | Lehi Hopoate | Taine Tuaupiki | Jacob Laban | Tom Trbojevic |
| 2 | Te Maire Martin | Lehi Hopoate | Clayton Faulalo | Lehi Hopoate |
| 1 | Reuben Garrick | Tom Trbojevic | Lehi Hopoate | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Xavier Savage | Coby Black | Coby Black | Coby Black |
| 4 | Coby Black | Xavier Savage | Xavier Savage | Kaeo Weekes |
| 3 | Kaeo Weekes | Simi Sasagi | Kaeo Weekes | Xavier Savage |
| 2 | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater | Simi Sasagi | Ethan Strange |
| 1 | Ata Mariota | Ata Mariota | Matty Nicholson | Jason Taumalolo |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Stefano Utoikamanu | Harry Grant | Harry Grant | Harry Grant |
| 4 | Harry Grant | Stefano Utoikamanu | William Kennedy | Tyran Wishart |
| 3 | Addin Fonua-Blake | William Kennedy | Tyran Wishart | Stefano Utoikamanu |
| 2 | Tyran Wishart | Niwhai Puru | Stefano Utoikamanu | Addin Fonua-Blake |
| 1 | Oryn Keeley | Siosifa Talakai | Riley Jones | Billy Burns |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Dylan Egan | Toby Couchman | Toby Couchman | Dylan Egan |
| 4 | Toby Couchman | Dylan Egan | Mitchell Moses | Tyrell Sloan |
| 3 | Josh Addo-Carr | Daniel Atkinson | Daniel Atkinson | Blake Law |
| 2 | Mitchell Moses | Brian Kelly | Brian Kelly | Josh Addo-Carr |
| 1 | Daniel Atkinson | Loko Pasifiki Tonga | Dylan Egan | Mitchell Moses |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Leo Twemlow | |
| 5 | Casey McLean | Casey McLean | Casey McLean | Thomas Jenkins |
| 4 | Thomas Jenkins | Brian To'o | Brian To'o | Casey McLean |
| 3 | Brian To'o | Liam Martin | Thomas Jenkins | Nathan Cleary |
| 2 | Isaiah Papali'i | Thomas Jenkins | Dylan Edwards | Latu Fainu |
| 1 | Liam Martin | Isaiah Papali'i | Liam Martin | Solomone Saukuru |
Top Ten
| RANK | PLAYER | LAST ROUND | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Edwards |
2 | 215 |
| 2 | Nathan Cleary |
3 | 212 |
| 3 | Haumole Olakau'atu |
0 | 210 |
| 4 | Naufahu Whyte |
0 | 202 |
| 5 | Scott Drinkwater |
4 | 199 |
| 6 | Herbie Farnworth |
12 | 176 |
| 7 | Braydon Trindall |
0 | 175 |
| 8 | Sua Fa'alogo |
0 | 165 |
| 9 | James Tedesco |
0 | 162 |
| 10 | Kalyn Ponga |
0 | 149 |
Interesting (to me) that if you add up the MVP points for each club’s players, they just about reflect the order of clubs on the final league tavble:
Warriors 1019
Penrith 996
Dolphins 972
Roosters 885
Sharks 858
Souths 851
Newcastle 797
Cowboys 731
Surprised that the Wahs scored more than the Panthers, though