Only three players remain in contention for the top spot in Zero Tackle's NRL MVP for 2025, with James Tedesco registering a perfect 20 votes in Round 23 to extend his lead.
The perfect score, which came as the Roosters ran up more than 60 points against the Dolphins on Saturday evening in Brisbane, sees him kick 25 votes clear of Terrell May, who holds onto second spot despite the Wests Tigers having the bye over the weekend.
Only players within 80 votes (or 60 if their club has a bye) of Tedesco stand a mathematical chance of knocking him off the top spot at the end of the regular season, given there are only four weeks remaining.
Running down the leaderboard, Herbie Farnworth is set to miss the remainder of the regular season and is 47 votes off the pace, while Addin Fonua-Blake is 70 votes behind, but has a bye to play.
Connor Tracey is 75 votes behind but, like Farnworth, is injured and not expected to play again during the regular season, while St George Illawarra Dragons fullback Clint Gutherson has surged back into sixth place on the back of a perfect 20.
Gutherson is 76 votes behind, and is the last of the mathematical chances to claim the overall prize, although he would need to be perfect over the final four weeks, while Tedesco couldn't score more than four combined votes as the Roosters push for a spot in the finals.
Tedesco and Gutherson were joined by Harry Grant, Blaize Talagi, Ethan Strange and Latrell Mitchell as the perfect 20-vote getters over the weekend, while the other two games saw Enari Tuala and Jacob Kiraz for the Canterbury Bulldogs, as well as Josh Addo-Carr and Joash Papalii for the Parramatta Eels split top spot.
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 23.
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Harry Grant | Harry Grant | Harry Grant | Harry Grant |
| 4 | Xavier Coates | Ryan Papenhuyzen | Ryan Papenhuyzen | Xavier Coates |
| 3 | Ryan Papenhuyzen | Stefano Utoikamanu | Xavier Coates | Cameron Munster |
| 2 | Cameron Munster | Cameron Munster | Stefano Utoikamanu | Ryan Papenhuyzen |
| 1 | Stefano Utoikamanu | Xavier Coates | Cameron Munster | Stefano Utoikamanu |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Blaize Talagi | Blaize Talagi | Blaize Talagi | Blaize Talagi |
| 4 | Izack Tago | Brian To'o | Brian To'o | Brian To'o |
| 3 | Brian To'o | Izack Tago | Izack Tago | Izack Tago |
| 2 | Dylan Edwards | Dylan Edwards | Thomas Jenkins | Casey McLean |
| 1 | Casey McLean | Thomas Jenkins | Dylan Edwards | Isaiah Papali'i |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Ethan Strange | Ethan Strange | Ethan Strange | Ethan Strange |
| 4 | Tolutau Koula | Sebastian Kris | Tolutau Koula | Tolutau Koula |
| 3 | Sebastian Kris | Tolutau Koula | Matthew Timoko | Sebastian Kris |
| 2 | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko | Sebastian Kris | Ethan Bullemor |
| 1 | Ethan Bullemor | Ethan Bullemor | Ethan Bullemor | Josh Papalii |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Clinton Gutherson | Clinton Gutherson | Clinton Gutherson | Clinton Gutherson |
| 4 | Luciano Leilua | Hayden Buchanan | Hayden Buchanan | Hayden Buchanan |
| 3 | Hayden Buchanan | Moses Suli | Luciano Leilua | Luciano Leilua |
| 2 | Blayke Brailey | Blayke Brailey | Moses Suli | Addin Fonua-Blake |
| 1 | Addin Fonua-Blake | Luciano Leilua | Braden Hamlin-Uele | Moses Suli |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | James Tedesco | James Tedesco | James Tedesco | James Tedesco |
| 4 | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Sam Walker | Sam Walker | Sam Walker |
| 3 | Daniel Tupou | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Naufahu Whyte | Mark Nawaqanitawase |
| 2 | Sam Walker | Naufahu Whyte | Mark Nawaqanitawase | Naufahu Whyte |
| 1 | Naufahu Whyte | Hugo Savala | Spencer Leniu | Hugo Savala |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Enari Tuala | Jacob Kiraz | Jacob Kiraz | Jacob Kiraz |
| 4 | Jacob Kiraz | Stephen Crichton | Stephen Crichton | Stephen Crichton |
| 3 | Viliame Kikau | Enari Tuala | Enari Tuala | Enari Tuala |
| 2 | Stephen Crichton | Viliame Kikau | Matt Burton | Viliame Kikau |
| 1 | Bailey Hayward | Bailey Hayward | Viliame Kikau | Max King |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Latrell Mitchell | Latrell Mitchell | Latrell Mitchell | Latrell Mitchell |
| 4 | Alex Johnston | AJ Brimson | AJ Brimson | AJ Brimson |
| 3 | AJ Brimson | Alex Johnston | Alex Johnston | Alex Johnston |
| 2 | Jaimin Jolliffe | Jai Arrow | Jaimin Jolliffe | Jaimin Jolliffe |
| 1 | Jai Arrow | Brandon Smith | Brandon Smith | Alofiana Khan-Pereira |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Josh Addo-Carr | Joash Papalii | Josh Addo-Carr | Josh Addo-Carr |
| 4 | Jaxon Purdue | Josh Addo-Carr | Jake Clifford | Coen Hess |
| 3 | Joash Papalii | Jake Clifford | Joash Papalii | Jaxon Purdue |
| 2 | Coen Hess | Jaxon Purdue | Coen Hess | Ryley Smith |
| 1 | J'maine Hopgood | J'maine Hopgood | Mitchell Moses | Joash Papalii |
Top Ten
| RANK | PLAYER | LAST ROUND | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Tedesco |
20 | 216 |
| 2 | Terrell May |
0 | 191 |
| 3 | Herbie Farnworth |
0 | 169 |
| 4 | Addin Fonua-Blake |
3 | 146 |
| 5 | Connor Tracey |
0 | 141 |
| 6 | Clinton Gutherson |
20 | 140 |
| 7 | Isaiya Katoa |
0 | 134 |
| 8 | Joseph Tapine |
0 | 131 |
| 9 | Nathan Cleary |
0 | 126 |
| 10 | Payne Haas |
0 | 124 |
