Tom Trbojevic in bizarre Dally M snub as finalists for each position and coach of year revealed

Sea Eagles star Tom Trbojevic has been snubbed for Dally M fullback of the year, with James Tedesco, Dylan Edwards and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow all getting the nod ahead of him. On Monday, the NRL announced a list of 35 players in contention for the 2024 NRL Dally M Team of the Year, along with nominees for coach, captain and rookie of the year awards.

The nominees for this year's Team of the Year included five players who were named in the 2023 Dally M Team of the Year - centres Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) and Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs), prop Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors), hooker Harry Grant (Storm) and lock Pat Carrigan (Broncos). Melbourne halfback Jahrome Hughes is the clear frontrunner to take out the Dally M, while the ineligibility of boom Wests Tigers rookie Lachlan Galvin has left the rookie of the year race wide open.

The talented five-eighth, who finished with 16 try assists, was rubbed out of the running after being hit with a two-game ban for a hip drop tackle back in round four. The coach of the year race is set to come down to Canterbury's Cameron Ciraldo and Penrith coach Ivan Cleary.

And while most of the NRL world would be in agreement with the majority of names on the shortlist for various Team of the Year honours, Trbojevic not even being among the three fullbacks comes as arguably the biggest shock given the fact that many believed he was potentially in the running to take out the Dally M.

Dally M Judges will vote on the best player in each position at regular intervals during the season. One last vote is conducted at the end of the regular season. The player or players who poll with the highest number of votes in each position are included in the team of the year. There is one exception, with players who poll in the top three of the Dally M Award count automatically receiving their position in the team of the year.

Sea Eagles No.1 Trbojevic was seen as a smokey to take out the Dally M medal for a second time. But the fact he's not even in the running to be fullback of the year would seemingly mean he's not in contention. It marks the second time the fullback's contributions have been overlooked this month alone, with the same trio of Tedesco, Edwards and Tabuai-Fidow named the best three fullbacks of the 2024 season by their fellow NRL players for the RLPA awards.

Should Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow be in top three fullbacks of 2024?

It would be tough to find people who would argue Edwards and Tedesco's inclusion in talks of who is the best fullback in 2024. But Tabuai-Fidow's selection in both the Dally M fullback of the year and RLPA fullback of the year discussions on face value is peculiar. It could be argued that Trbojevic, Kalyn Ponga, Reece Walsh and Scott Drinkwater all had better years than the Hammer in 2024, but he made both shortlists.

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Not only did Tabuai-Fidow have somewhat of a hot and cold season but he was even switched to the centres by Wayne Bennett for the last two games of the Dolphins' season, with Trai Fuller preferred in the No.1 jersey. His underlying stats also call into question if he deserves to be in the conversation for best fullback in the game, with Trbojevic far better by numbers than his counterpart.

Tabuai-Fidow scored 15 tries in the regular season, compared to Trbojevic's 17 tries in just 18 games. While in terms of line breaks Trbojevic had 15 to Tabuai-Fidow's 10. The Manly No.1 also had more run metres, fewer missed tackles and averaged more run metres per game than his Dolphins counterpart.

Dally M Team of the Year nominees:

Fullback of the Year:

• Dylan Edwards (Panthers)

• Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins)

• James Tedesco (Roosters)

Winger of the Year:

• Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Titans)

• Jacob Kiraz (Bulldogs)

• Zac Lomax (Dragons)

• Brian To'o (Panthers)

• Will Warbrick (Storm)

Centre of the Year:

• Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs)

• Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins)

• Val Holmes (Cowboys)

• Jesse Ramien (Sharks)

• Kotoni Staggs (Broncos)

Five-eighth of the Year:

• Matt Burton (Bulldogs)

• Tom Dearden (Cowboys)

• Jarome Luai (Panthers)

Halfback of the Year:

• Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)

• Jahrome Hughes (Storm)

• Ben Hunt (Dragons)

Hooker of the Year:

• Blayke Brailey (Sharks)

• Harry Grant (Storm)

• Reece Robson (Cowboys)

Prop of the Year:

• Lindsay Collins (Roosters)

• James Fisher-Harris (Panthers)

• Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors)

• Moses Leota (Panthers)

• Joseph Tapine (Raiders)

Second-row of the Year:

• Angus Crichton (Roosters)

• Eliesa Katoa (Storm)

• Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs)

• Jaydn Su'A (Dragons)

• Hudson Young (Raiders)

Lock of the Year:

• Pat Carrigan (Broncos)

• Reuben Cotter (Cowboys)

• Isaah Yeo (Panthers)

Coach of the Year:

• Craig Bellamy (Storm)

• Cameron Ciraldo (Bulldogs)

• Ivan Cleary (Panthers)

Captain of the Year:

• Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs)

• Harry Grant (Storm)

• Isaah Yeo (Panthers)

Rookie of the Year:

• Jack Bostock (Dolphins)

• Kayal Iro (Sharks)

• Ethan Strange (Raiders)