Dylan Edwards won the 2026 NRL MVP award, edging out Nathan Cleary by three votes in a close competition.
Penrith Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards has claimed Zero Tackle's NRL MVP award for 2026, just three votes ahead of teammate and halfback Nathan Cleary at the end of the regular season.
In what has been the closest race since the launch of the MVP system six years ago, five players were still in the mix for the overall prize heading into the last round, although that reduced to four when Roosters boss Trent Robinson decided to rest Naufahu Whyte.
In an anticlimactic ending to the year, Edwards managed two votes in the final game - Penrith's win over the Tigers - while Cleary managed three.
Haumole Olakau'atu finished in third place as a result, just two votes behind Cleary after not scoring, while Whyte holds on to fourth spot despite not playing, with four votes for Scott Drinkwater in the Cowboys' shock loss to the Raiders seeing him hang on to fifth spot.