The Dally M Medal voting has moved to a closed format, revealing a bleak leaderboard for Queensland’s Maroons after 12 rounds, with only two players—Cameron Munster and Jye Gray—representing the state in the top ten. The rest of the leaderboard is dominated by New South Wales players, as Luke Metcalf and Will Kennedy lead the race for the prestigious award. This disparity raises concerns for the Maroons ahead of the State of Origin series.
The Dally M voting highlights a stark contrast in performance between the two states, with New South Wales players accumulating a total of 286 votes compared to Queensland’s 167. This point discrepancy illustrates a significant advantage for the Blues in building a formidable team based on individual achievements this season.
As the conversation shifts to the potential line-ups for the Origin series, the Blues exhibit a strong roster filled with top performers like Will Kennedy and Luke Metcalf, who have shone in their respective club performances. Meanwhile, Queensland’s Jye Gray has had a stellar start to the season but has faced challenges in retaining his fullback role, falling behind established stars like Kalyn Ponga, who currently holds 13 Dally M votes.
Several New South Wales players have emerged as standout contenders, including Lehi Hopoate, Stephen Crichton, and Latrell Mitchell, all impacting their teams significantly despite varying degrees of competition for spots. Queensland, conversely, features familiar names like Cameron Munster and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, suggesting that while talent exists, consistency is key to their success.
The quality of play has been inconsistent for both teams, with some star players having break-out seasons while others have struggled to find form. Notably, Queensland’s David Fifita has struggled this season, leading to questions about his selection, while players like Munster remain crucial to the team’s strategy.
As Queensland prepares to face New South Wales in the upcoming Origin series, the disparity in Dally M votes underscores the challenge ahead. The Maroons will need to bridge the gap not just in individual performance but also leverage the combined strengths of their squad to excel against a Blues team that has consistently impressed this year. The upcoming matches will serve as a crucial test for both teams as they vie for supremacy in this storied rivalry.