The Dally M Awards received mixed reactions; many coaches, including Grand Final mentors, skipped the event.
The Dally M Awards received mixed reception from fans following Wednesday Night's broadcast, and it seems the league's largest figures felt the same.
While Coach of the Year recipient Ricky Stuart, of the Canberra Raiders, and nominee Cameron Ciraldo of the Canterbury Bulldogs, both attended the prestigious awards, they joined a short list of those who bothered to show up.
The only coaches interested in the award show were the aforementioned Ciraldo and Stuart, as well as New Zealand Warriors' Andrew Webster and Cronulla Sharks' Craig Fitzgibbon, and Dolphins' Kristian Woolf.
This left a whopping 12 coaches turning their backs on the Dally M's including both of this weekend's Grand Final mentors, Craig Bellamy and Michael Maguire.