The NRL has amended its controversial Wally Lewis Medal voting format – but a player who features in only two games in a losing State of Origin side such as Billy Slater will still be able to win the player of the series.
Australian coach Mal Meninga as well as selectors Darren Lockyer and Laurie Daley will work under a streamlined system designed to reduce the likelihood of a Slater-like result, but they won't be allowed to confer on an overall winner at the end of game three.
Controversial choice: Wally Lewis presents Billy Slater with the player of the series medal in 2018.Credit:AAP
The NRL rubber stamped the changes on Monday after an outcry over Slater getting the nod as the best player from either side during last year's series. He played in just two of the three games and was the first player from a losing team to win the medal since 2004.
It drew a curt response from NSW officials, who questioned the decision after Damien Cook, James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner and Tom Trbojevic all had an outstanding series.
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Meninga, Lockyer and Daley each awarded 4-3-2-1 points after every game of the series, enough for Slater's two-game cameo to steal the award.
But this year the trio will lodge only 3-2-1 votes at the end of each game.
The NRL will also ensure players have to feature in at least two of the three games to be eligible for the Wally Lewis Medal.
An independent judge, who will be a former Origin legend, will be on standby at each game with the casting vote to decide the man of the match and overall man of the series should the pointscoring produce a tie.
Lockyer himself said after the furore of last year's decision there could be a better system used to decide the player of the series, but the NRL has opted not to completely dump the pointscoring method.
Meninga, Lockyer and Daley all watch Origin matches separate from each other given their various commitments with media organisations and are required to lodge their votes independently shortly after full-time.
The Slater decision last year was the only blight on an otherwise outstanding NSW revival under coach Brad Fittler, who couldn't hide his frustration in the Blues sheds not long after game three.
"The silver lining would be if the Wally Lewis Medal was hanging around someones neck in here," an emotional Fittler told the Herald straight after Queensland's series-ending win at Suncorp Stadium. "Terrible. Terrible … Who chooses it? Seriously. Seriously. Seriously. Seriously … Why does Billy need that? Hes got everything [from the game] already. Ridiculous."
Fittler was later more circumspect with his comments in the days afterwards, but the deciRead More – Source
The NRL has amended its controversial Wally Lewis Medal voting format – but a player who features in only two games in a losing State of Origin side such as Billy Slater will still be able to win the player of the series.
Australian coach Mal Meninga as well as selectors Darren Lockyer and Laurie Daley will work under a streamlined system designed to reduce the likelihood of a Slater-like result, but they won't be allowed to confer on an overall winner at the end of game three.
Controversial choice: Wally Lewis presents Billy Slater with the player of the series medal in 2018.Credit:AAP
The NRL rubber stamped the changes on Monday after an outcry over Slater getting the nod as the best player from either side during last year's series. He played in just two of the three games and was the first player from a losing team to win the medal since 2004.
It drew a curt response from NSW officials, who questioned the decision after Damien Cook, James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner and Tom Trbojevic all had an outstanding series.
Advertisement
Meninga, Lockyer and Daley each awarded 4-3-2-1 points after every game of the series, enough for Slater's two-game cameo to steal the award.
But this year the trio will lodge only 3-2-1 votes at the end of each game.
The NRL will also ensure players have to feature in at least two of the three games to be eligible for the Wally Lewis Medal.
An independent judge, who will be a former Origin legend, will be on standby at each game with the casting vote to decide the man of the match and overall man of the series should the pointscoring produce a tie.
Lockyer himself said after the furore of last year's decision there could be a better system used to decide the player of the series, but the NRL has opted not to completely dump the pointscoring method.
Meninga, Lockyer and Daley all watch Origin matches separate from each other given their various commitments with media organisations and are required to lodge their votes independently shortly after full-time.
The Slater decision last year was the only blight on an otherwise outstanding NSW revival under coach Brad Fittler, who couldn't hide his frustration in the Blues sheds not long after game three.
"The silver lining would be if the Wally Lewis Medal was hanging around someones neck in here," an emotional Fittler told the Herald straight after Queensland's series-ending win at Suncorp Stadium. "Terrible. Terrible … Who chooses it? Seriously. Seriously. Seriously. Seriously … Why does Billy need that? Hes got everything [from the game] already. Ridiculous."
Fittler was later more circumspect with his comments in the days afterwards, but the deciRead More – Source
