Rugby Australia has already confirmed the nominees for their upcoming annual award ceremony to be hosted on Wednesday in Sydney. The major awards event celebrates the achievements of different playmakers in the country’s rugby for the last 12 months. This event is set to make a comeback as an awards night, after being previously broadcasted online.
Some of the top nominees for the John Eales Medal include the Wallabies Marika Koroibete, Angus Bell, Rob Valetini, Will Skelton, and Mark Nawaqanitawase. These five players have been key to the success of Australia’s rugby team over the last year and they’re expected to continue showing their prowess in 2024. For rugby punters, it’s a great moment for updating your account details with Hollywoodbets ahead of this upcoming event.
Koroibete will be attempting to get his third successive medal, while Angus Bell hopes to be the first prop player to win this award following his dominant World Cup display. Nawaqanitawase was quite brilliant in the 2023 International season as he recorded four tries, while Skelton’s impressive performance was rewarded with the World Cup Captaincy role. Rob Valetini closes the list after finishing second during the 2022 season and he has emerged as a dominant and reliable player in the back row.
For the female team, Georgina Friedrichs, Emily Chancellor, Eva Karpani, Maya Stewart, and Ash Marsters are the nominees for the Player of the Year. These Wallaroos players helped the team excel during their 2023 campaign, headlines by their maiden victory over France. They also recorded thrilling victories over the USA, Fijiana and Wales.
Georgina Friedrichs is the current defending champion from 2022, while Karpani is the electric WXV player who took out the player of the Match during their win over France. Ash Marsters took the 2023 RUPA Medal of Excellence after her brilliant performance, whilst Stewart and Chancellor have constantly dominated their positions during the WXV and Pac Four competitions.
The nominees for the Shaun McKay Medal include Charlotte Caslick, Maddison Levi, and Alysia Lefau Fakaosilea. Maddison Levi got the Player of the Year nomination in the World Rugby Seven after breaking the record for the most tries on the global stage. Lefau-Fakaosilea and Caslick are equally influential thanks to their title wins in Cape Town and Dubai.
For the men’s Shaun McKay award, Nathan Lawson, Dietrich Roache, and Henry Paterson will be competing against each other. Paterson was included in the World Series Dream Team in the 2022/2023 season, while Roache and Lawson were among the top point scorers and try scorers for the Australian side in the last year.
Rugby Australia Award nominees
- John Eales Medal – Will Skelton, Marika Koroiete, Rob Valetini, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Angus Bell.
- Player of the Year (Wallaroos) – Georgina Friedrichs, Eva Karpani, Emily Chancellor, Ash Marsters, Maya Stewart.
- Shaun McKay Medals (Men Player of the Year) – Henry Paterson, Nathan Lawson, Dietrich Roache.
Shaun McKay Medals (Women Player of the Year) – Alysia Lefau Fakaosilea, Charlotte Caslick, Madison Levi.
