Dally M Awards 2024 LIVE: All the latest updates and red carpet news from the NRL’s night of nights

That was like winning the grand final with a two-point field goal in the last seconds of extra time.

He’s reminding the fans that he wasn’t a halfback before making the switch at Bellamy’s behest at the Storm, with Cooper Cronk singled out for helping him make the transition to one of the most challenging positions on the field.

Hughes thanks the club first – which will delight his coach with his team-first ethos – before thanking his family for keeping him going when he ‘wasn’t keen to continue with the rugby league dream when I was younger’.

The New Zealander also thanks his Kiwi teammates for helping him grow his game.

An understated but heartfelt speech there.

Hughes was in front of Tedesco by one point going into the last round. Teddy scored six votes in the last game of the regular season – the maximum possible – but so did Hughes! He gets up by one vote!

‘I definitely didn’t expect that this year,’ Kernick tells the crowd.

She played every minute of the competition this year and says the key to her form is her skipper, Isabelle Kelly, who ‘leads from the front’ and ‘made me the player I am today’.

Olivia took her mum as her date tonight and she looks like the happiest person in the room as the TV cameras find her.

She didn’t poll a vote in the final game of the regular season but still did enough to take out the highest individual honour in the game.

Another close battle here…

Fullback: James Tedesco, Roosters

Wingers: Zac Lomax, Dragons; Brian To’o, Panthers

Centres: Stephen Crichton, Bulldogs; Herbie Farnworth, Dolphins

Five-eighth: Tom Dearden, Cowboys

Halfback: Jahrome Hughes, Storm

Hooker: Harry Grant, Storm

Props: Joe Tapine, Raiders; Addin Fonua-Blake, Warriors

Second rowers: Angus Crichton, Roosters; Eliesa Katoa, Storm

Lock: Isaah Yeo, Panthers

Fullback: Abbie Church, Parramatta

Wingers: Julia Robinson, Brisbane; Stacey Waaka, Brisbane

Centres: Isabelle Kelly, Roosters; Tiana Penitani, Cronulla

Five-eighth: Zahara Temara, Canberra

Halfback: Lauren Brown, Titans

Hooker: Keeley Davis, Roosters

Props: Millie Elliott, Roosters; Shannon Mato, Titans

Second rowers: Olivia Kernick, Roosters; Yasmin Clydsdale, Newcastle

Lock: Simaima Taufa, Canberra

The favourite races back to the front…

Talk about going down to the wire with three rounds left to count.

Tedesco picks up the maximum possible six votes in round 24.

Tom Trbojevic was the biggest winner in that bracket of rounds, picking up 18 points.

Here’s how the race to the medal looks now…

The reminder that Jahrome Hughes was docked points for accidentally running into a ref hasn’t gone down well…

Hynes beat out nominees Reuben Cotter from the Cowboys, Titans star Brian Kelly and Parramatta’s Shaun Lane.

He said he should chop his medal into little pieces and hand them out to all the other NRL and NRLW stars who are doing great work in the community.

This is given to the player who made the biggest contribution to their local community, making it the women’s version of the Ken Stephen Medal.

Hunt stars for St George Illawarra and has done a lot of work with Indigenous grassroots programs.

A lovely tribut there to the big names who aren’t with us anymore.

Among the legends the game has lost this year are Paul Sait, Barry Ross, Phil Cooley, Troy Dargan, Darrell Bampton, John Elford, Col McLennan, Rees Duncan, John Moran, Phil Lowe, Ernie Gillon, Ian Heads, Bob Lanigan, Keith Barnes, David Lord, Terry Hill, Ron Lynch, Steve Blyth, Rob Burrow, John Topp, Brian Cooley, Geoff Robinson, Bobby Banks, Mike Colman, Graham McNeice and David Morrow.

What a roll call that is – players, coaches, reporters, fans.

The most controversial award of the night, according to Phil Gould, who viewed Wests Tigers star Lachlan Galvin as an absolute lock to take this out – if it wasn’t for the two-game suspension that made him ineligible.

Bostock has excelled for the Dolphins this year after making his debut in round five.

The Dragons halfback takes this one out and thanks her teammates and coaching staff – which is a little telling, as head coach Jamie Soward was sacked this year.

Hats off to whoever came up with his (turn it up)…

Yvonne Sampson has just said he averages a grand final every second year – which seems like it should be impossible.

There was a lot of speculation that he’d retire a couple of seasons back, but Bellyache has lost none of his smarts, dedication… or anger, as anyone who has seen his behaviour in the coach’s box will know.

Scott Prince of the Brisbane Broncos takes this one out.

One of the heroes of Wests Tigers’ 2005 grand final win has another trophy for his cabinet.

They started the year 0-2, then reeled off seven straight wins, and he’s hailing the side’s resilience.

What has he learned about himself? Coaching the players away from the field is harder for him than doing the job on game day.

What an honour for the Bulldog, who was captaining an NRL team for the first time this year and has played a huge role in their storming run back into the finals after a long time out of the eight.

Coach Cameron Ciraldo nailed it when he selected him to lead Canterbury.

Tiana Penitani, take a bow.

The Sharks skipper – who is doing a great job with the interviews tonight and has a future in TV if she wants it – has landed the award.

‘I’m really humbled to receive this,’ she tells the crowd, hailing Brisbane skipper Ali Brigginshaw as a ‘pioneer of the game’.

Jahrome Hughes scored an amazing 27 points from round 13 to 18, which should have put him in the outright lead, but he had six points deducted because he was suspended for one week for making accidental contact with a referee.

That leaves the leaderboard looking like this…

Roosters star Olivia Kernick is just four points off leader Lauren Brown of the Titans after round seven.

NRLW tackle of the year: Abigale Roache, Newcastle

NRLW try of the year: Zali Frey, Parramatta

Ken Irvine Medal for top tryscorer: Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Gold Coast

NRLW top tryscorer: Julia Robinson, Brisbane

NRLW top points scorer: Romy Teitzel, Broncos

NRL tackle of the year: Tom Dearden, North Queensland

NRL try of the year: Xavier Coates, Melbourne

Here we have (from top to bottom): Jesse Ramien and Shell Gibbs; Apisai and Amy Koroisau; and Panthers winger Brian To’o and his wife Moesha.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is now giving what will hopefully be the most boring speech of the night, because if it gets any worse than this, we’re in trouble.

No offence, Andrew, but you sound like a press release with a pulse.

He’s spruiking the TV ratings, the upcoming Pacific Championships and, of course, the brilliant leadership skills of ARL chairman Peter V’landys.

But he saves his biggest praise for the fans and the ‘incredible group of players’ who are being honoured tonight.

Hosts Yvonne Sampson and Cooper Cronk have just opened proceedings on the TV coverage, with the Storm gun describing himself as the ‘Steven Bradbury of rugby league’ in a joke that got exactly zero laughs.

Federal sport minister Anika Wells has taken a break from life in Canberra to mix with a far more intellectual crowd than the knuckle-draggers she has to deal with in parliament house. Tonight she’s dressed by Toni Maticevski.

First we have Cowboys boss Todd Payten and his wife Julie, who was the subject of one of the great Dally M speeches in recent memory when he won the coach of the year award in 2022.

Next we have – brace yourselves – Storm maestro Craig Bellamy, who appears to be actually smiling. We have no idea how this happened. At last count this is only the third time he has done that since March.

Broncos skipper Ali Brigginshaw – pictured with her wife Kate Daly – has put the ARL boss to shame in the fashion stakes tonight.

She’s in the running for the captain of the year award.

Crichton’s Dogs teammate (and former teammate from their time at Penrith) has gone for more traditional footwear after revealing his unusually large toes are partly responsible for the towering bombs he’s famous for putting up.

The Bulldogs best player in 2024 elected to go with sneakers instead of a pair of dress shoes and we are so here for it. One of these years someone will have the courage to go the whole hog and wear trackie daks with their suit jacket and bow tie.

Here’s hoping their romance goes from strength to strength, they get married, and he takes her surname so the commentators have to yell ‘HERBIE PICKLES!’ whenever the Dolphins gun scores a try.

Here we have (top to bottom): Harry Grant and Brooke Loeiro, women’s footy legend Ruan Sims, and Raiders bookend Joe Tapine and his wife Kirsten.

He’s one of the most powerful people in Australian sport, running both the NRL and Racing NSW, and he must be on one hell of a pay packet.

All of which adds to one of the biggest mysteries in the NRL: Why can’t the boss pay a tailor to make him suits that actually fit?

Have a look at the length of that sleeve. If that doesn’t scream ‘I got my outfit off the rack and didn’t try it on because I was in a rush to get to a meeting with the NRL Integrity Unit’, what does?

What a year for the Roosters star. After getting through a shocking mental health battle last off-season, he turned in a campaign for the ages with the Chooks and won the Brad Fittler Medal as the best of the NSW Blues as they won a thrilling Origin series over Queensland. And to make things even sweeter for him, he and Esegbona were first spotted kissing during the interstate series.

The Manly skipper is another star with a big chance of winning the big award tonight, sitting just behind Dylan Edwards and Nicho Hynes in the voting before the judges’ scores became secret.

The Knights gun is the reigning Dally M medallist. He and peak went public in June last year; she’s a soccer star who plays for Sydney Olympic FC.

The Sharks star – who was second in the Dally M voting as of round 12 – only just made his romance with the 23-year-old advertising specialist public after she was spotted at Cronulla games with his mum Julie.

He has had an up and down year that was interrupted by a long stint on the sidelines due to a serious injury, meaning he probably won’t be challenging for the award after winning it in 2022.

Many good judges are tipping Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes to take the Dally M tonight after a stellar run of form that saw him become one of the driving forces in their run to yet another grand final appearance.

Roosters gun James Tedesco is joined by wife Maria. He was right in the thick of it for the Dally M when the votes went behind closed doors after round 12 and is a big chance of winning the coveted gong tonight.

It’s been a big year for the Souths star and his fiance, who welcomed their daughter Avalon into the world in February, just before the start of the season.

The Gold Coast Titans winger is one of the top contenders to take out the biggest individual honour in the women’s game tonight, but she has modestly tipped her teammate Lauren Brown or reigning Dally M medal winner Tamika Upton of the nights to come out on top.

At last year’s Dally Ms he was compared to The Rock for wearing a lavish Versace dress shirt that cost a staggering $2500 – and he might’ve topped that tonight.

The shirt is impressive enough this time around, but the Dragons prop (pictured with wife Ana) is also turning heads in the footwear department. Have a go at those shoes!

The ex-Dragon – who’s on his way to Parramatta for 2025 – brought his mum Cheree tonight. All together now: awwwwwww!

The Roosters prop cut a dramatically different figure to many of the other stars and WAGs tonight with this dress featuring a long black train.

She’ll be trying to add to the 2022 premiership she won with the Knights when she takes the field in Homebush on Sunday.

The Storm legend and his TV star wife have had plenty of practice for the red carpet. He took out the Dally M Medal in 2013 and 2016.

The Canberra Raiders star has been nominated for the second-rower of the year award. His partner, Kelsea Peck, posted a charming shot of her man getting ready with teammates Joe Tapine and Elliott Whitehead, who was wearing nothing but a dressing gown at the time. Will he be brave enough to stay that way when he hits the red carpet? We’ll soon find out.

The Channel Nine star is all class in a figure-hugging blue number tonight – but there’s no sign of her boyfriend, Bulldogs forward Liam Knight, at the moment.

Roosters prop Lindsay Collins’ season ended on a sour note when he was concussed in the first tackle of the team’s preliminary final loss to the Storm, but he and wife Kaylah looked great as they arrived for the ceremony at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse tonight.

Luke Lewis clocked up an incredible 324 games for the Panthers and Sharks, winning the 2003 and 2016 premierships – and as you can see from his entrance with wife Sonia, he looks like he could run out again at Accor Stadium on Sunday.

There’s a bit of a theme emerging on the red carpet: Daring outfits that show off a lot of skin.

Kelly – who’ll skipper the Roosters in Sunday’s NRLW grand final – has given her rival captain Tiana Penitani of the Sharks a run for her money in the fashion stakes tonight.

We were wrong – it’s not a tribute to the Wests Tigers, it’s a sly dig at his old coach at the Melbourne Storm, Craig ‘Bellyache’ Bellamy.

From wardrobe malfunctions to serial flashers and outfits that just fell flat, here’s a look at some of the most eye-catching red carpet moments from previous Dally M ceremonies…

Now with the Wests Tigers, the talented forward took out the highest honour in the women’s game in 2016.

Sharks NRLW star Tiana Penitani is in line for two awards tonight: centre of the year and captain of the year. But will she make our best-dressed list?

The Cronulla skipper is one of the faces of the women’s game and will be leading her side out for the grand final against the Roosters at 3.55pm on Sunday.

The Today show’s Taylor Haynes was among the first to arrive in an all-white outfit with a daring split up the side.

Phil Gould has not minced his words as he hit out at a Dally Ms snub that he called ‘a tragedy for our game’.

Wests Tigers’ boom rookie Lachlan Galvin is not eligible to the rookie of the year award tonight due to what Gus sees as a stupid, outdated rule.

Thanks for joining us for Daily Mail Australia’s coverage of the 2024 Dally M Medal ceremony.

Stick with us for the next few hours as we bring you all the best and worst dressed WAGs from the red carpet, updates on the vote count and all the awards on rugby league’s most glamorous night.

And to get us started, the first star to front the cameras this evening is Matty Johns’ son Cooper, the former Manly and Storm player who is now better known for his work on the Kyle & Jackie O show.

He’s gone with a striking black and white, double-breasted jacket that might have been inspired by the old Western Suburbs Magpies strip.