If Dylan Edwards is to go on and become just the second Panther to claim the Dally M Medal, he will need to do what no player has done since 2017, when Storm great Cameron Smith turned his halfway lead into a runaway triumph.
With Dally M voting going behind closed doors after Round 12, Edwards leads the way on 31 points, one clear of Sharks playmaker and 2022 winner Nicho Hynes on 30 votes.
The two went head-to-head in Round 12 with Edwards picking up one Dally M point after racking up 250 metres and seven tackle breaks in Penrith's big win while Hynes played just 31 minutes and failed to poll a vote.
Should Edwards go on to win he would emulate the deeds of Panthers legend Greg 'Brandy' Alexander, who took home the top prize in 1985 after winning Rookie of the Year 12 months earlier.
If Hynes claims the top gong he would become the second Cronulla player to collect two Dally M Medals, following in the footsteps of one of the club’s favourite sons Gavin Miller in 1988-89.
Smith also took home the game’s most coveted individual award twice, in 2006 and 2017, the second of those coming after he led the count on 17 votes at halfway from Paul Gallen (14), who went to finish fourth, and Paul Vaughan (14), who finished 18th.
In the ensuing six years, no player has managed to hang on and win the medal after leading when votes went behind closed doors, including Broncos powerhouse Payne Haas last year. Haas finished eighth in the final count with 42 votes after sitting on top with 30 votes after Round 12.
Kalyn Ponga's 2023 Dally M reel
Remarkably, Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga came from a tie for 59th at the midway point to storm home and collect the Dally M in a tight finish from Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson.
Another man who produced a storming finish to claim the top honours was Manly’s Tom Trbojevic in 2021, receiving maximum votes in six of his eight matches in the second half of the season.
After sitting on top when votes went secret, Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary finished second, five points shy of Turbo, and was left to rue the five matches he missed due to a shoulder injury after Origin Two.
Back in 2018, James Maloney led the Dally M field after 12 Rounds but failed to poll a vote for the rest of the season and finished equal 12th behind Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
The flashy fullback remains the only Warrior to claim the Dally M, coming home from sixth spot after 12 rounds to beat Ponga by two votes with Luke Brooks third and Val Holmes fourth.
One man with a history of polling well is Storm hooker Harry Grant, who finished sixth last year on 47 points after sitting third at the halfway point.
Rookie Reflections: Harry Grant
Back in 2020 when Grant played a season at Wests Tigers under a historic loan deal with Melbourne, he led the Dally M voting on 13 points after 12 rounds before going on to finish in equal 11th on 15 points.
Having played just two games at the Storm before making the move to the Tigers the then 22-year-old was eligible for Rookie of the Year honours and he duly took home that award on the back of a superb breakout season.
The weekly Dally M votes and leaderboard now go ‘behind closed doors’ for the remainder of the regular season with anticipation building towards the announcement of the winner at the Dally M Awards in Grand Final week.
Halfway home
How the Round 12 Dally M leaders have fared since 2016
2023
- 30 points – Payne Haas (Broncos)
- 27 points – Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
- 25 points – Harry Grant (Storm)
Haas went on to finish eighth with 42 votes behind winner Kalyn Ponga, who came from tied for 59th on six points after 12 rounds to claim the top gong.
2022
- 19 points – Ben Hunt (Dragons)
- 17 points – Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
- 16 points – Nicho Hynes (Sharks)
Ben Hunt finished third on 32 points with James Tedesco second on 33 and Nicho Hynes claiming the medal with 38 points.
Hynes takes to the stage to collect Dally M Medal
2021
- 21 points – Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
- 17 points – Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors)
- 16 points – James Fisher-Harris (Panthers)
Nathan Cleary would go on to finish second on 30 points behind Tom Trbojevic (35) who received maximum votes in six of his eight games in the second half of the season.
2020
- 13 points – Harry Grant (Wests Tigers)
- 12 points – Cameron Smith (Storm), Clint Gutherson (Eels)
- 11 points – Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys), Shaun Johnson (Sharks), Nathan Cleary (Panthers)
Canberra's Jack Wighton turned at the halfway mark on 10 points and went on to win the Dally M Medal while Harry Grant finished in equal 11th on 15 points and took home Rookie of the Year honours.
2019
- 15 points – Mitchell Pearce (Knights)
- 14 points – Cameron Munster (Storm)
- 14 points – Damien Cook (Rabbitohs)
Pearce would poll just four votes in the second half of the season to finish equal 10th on 18 votes. Roosters star James Tedesco had 12 points after 12 rounds and went on to win with 34 votes.
Tedesco wins 2019 Dally M Medal
2018
- 17 points – James Maloney (Panthers)
- 16 points – Andrew Fifita (Sharks)
- 16 points – Kalyn Ponga (Knights)
- 16 points – Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers)
James Maloney played eight games after Round 12 and the Panthers won five of those but he failed to gather any more votes while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck won the Dally M with 29 votes from Ponga on 27 and Brooks on 26.
2017
- 17 points – Cameron Smith (Storm)
- 14 points – Paul Gallen (Sharks)
- 14 points – Paul Vaughan (Dragons)
Cameron Smith defies the trend by going on to win the 2017 Dally M Medal after leading at Round 12. The Storm skipper polled 33 votes to beat Cowboy Michael Morgan (25) while Gallen would go on to finish fourth on 22 points after sitting second when voting went silent.
A career like no other: The best of Cameron Smith