Tom Trbojevic has shot to the top of Zero Tackle's MVP at the end of Round 5 on the back of a strong performance against the Penrith Panthers.
In what was a surprise performance from Manly, our panel handed Trbojevic 16 votes, while Daly Cherry-Evans was the unanimous best on ground, scoring a perfect 20.
Cherry-Evans was joined by Kalyn Ponga, Jahrome Hughes, Matt Burton and Matthew Timoko as the other players to score a perfect 20 in Round 5.
In the other games, Shaun Johnson, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Isaiya Katoa, Jeremya Marshall-King, Scott Drinkwater and Valentine Holmes were all voted as best on ground by at least one judge.
Trbojevic's 16 votes means he takes the lead of the MVP ahead of James Tedesco, who failed to register a vote in the Sydney Roosters' loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Tedesco drops to fourth, now nine votes off the pace, and he could fall further behind while recovering from concussion. Ponga and Drinkwater move into equal second spot, while it's another fullback in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who sits in fifth spot.
To remind you how this works, each week, our panel - made up of Matt Clements (Zero Tackle founder), Dan Nichols and Ethan Lee Chalk (Zero Tackle writers) and myself as editor will cast votes on each game in a 5-4-3-2-1 scoring system.
The best player on-field receives five votes, the next four, and so on. That means a player could realistically gain 20 votes in a single game, although no one was on that level in the first half of Round 1.
Here are all the votes from Round 5.
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jahrome Hughes | Jahrome Hughes | Jahrome Hughes | Jahrome Hughes |
| 4 | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa |
| 3 | Patrick Carrigan | Patrick Carrigan | Ezra Mam | Ezra Mam |
| 2 | Ezra Mam | Ezra Mam | Patrick Carrigan | Jesse Arthars |
| 1 | Tui Kamikamica | Jesse Arthars | Tui Kamikamica | Harry Grant |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Matt Burton | Matt Burton | Matt Burton | Matt Burton |
| 4 | Viliame Kikau | Viliame Kikau | Viliame Kikau | Viliame Kikau |
| 3 | Luke Keary | Luke Keary | Joseph Manu | Luke Keary |
| 2 | Joseph Manu | Joseph Manu | Angus Crichton | Joseph Manu |
| 1 | Egan Butcher | Egan Butcher | Kurt Mann | Reed Mahoney |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Kalyn Ponga | Kalyn Ponga | Kalyn Ponga | Kalyn Ponga |
| 4 | Dylan Lucas | Dylan Lucas | Dylan Lucas | Zac Lomax |
| 3 | Zac Lomax | Zac Lomax | Jack Cogger | Dylan Lucas |
| 2 | Enari Tuala | Jack Cogger | Zac Lomax | Jack Cogger |
| 1 | Jack Cogger | Jackson Hastings | Enari Tuala | Jackson Hastings |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Shaun Johnson | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Shaun Johnson | Shaun Johnson |
| 4 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Shaun Johnson | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| 3 | Wayde Egan | Addin Fonua-Blake | Addin Fonua-Blake | Addin Fonua-Blake |
| 2 | Addin Fonua-Blake | Wayde Egan | Te Maire Martin | Te Maire Martin |
| 1 | Te Maire Martin | Te Maire Martin | Wayde Egan | Wayde Egan |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Daly Cherry-Evans | Daly Cherry-Evans | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| 4 | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic |
| 3 | Dylan Edwards | Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown |
| 2 | Haumole Olakau'atu | Dylan Edwards | Toafofoa Sipley | Dylan Edwards |
| 1 | Toafofoa Sipley | Haumole Olakau'atu | Haumole Olakau'atu | Luke Brooks |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jeremy Marshall-King | Isaiya Katoa | Jeremy Marshall-King | Isaiya Katoa |
| 4 | Isaiya Katoa | Jeremy Marshall-King | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Jeremy Marshall-King |
| 3 | Stefano Utoikamanu | Stefano Utoikamanu | Aidan Sezer | Stefano Utoikamanu |
| 2 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Aidan Sezer | Isaiya Katoa | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
| 1 | Aidan Sezer | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Stefano Utoikamanu | Aidan Sezer |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Scott Drinkwater | Valentine Holmes | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater |
| 4 | Reece Robson | Scott Drinkwater | Reece Robson | Valentine Holmes |
| 3 | Valentine Holmes | Reece Robson | Chad Townsend | Chad Townsend |
| 2 | Chad Townsend | Chad Townsend | Valentine Holmes | Reece Robson |
| 1 | Reuben Cotter | Murray Taulagi | Murray Taulagi | Reuben Cotter |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko | Matthew Timoko |
| 4 | Xavier Savage | Xavier Savage | Ethan Strange | Ethan Strange |
| 3 | Ethan Strange | Ethan Strange | Xavier Savage | James Schiller |
| 2 | James Schiller | Morgan Smithies | James Schiller | Xavier Savage |
| 1 | Morgan Smithies | Simi Sasagi | Simi Sasagi | Morgan Smithies |
Top ten
| PLAYER | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Trbojevic |
16 | 62 |
| 2 | Scott Drinkwater |
19 | 56 |
| 2 | Kalyn Ponga |
20 | 56 |
| 4 | James Tedesco |
0 | 53 |
| 5 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
9 | 49 |
| 6 | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck |
0 | 46 |
| 6 | Viliame Kikau |
16 | 46 |
| 8 | Zac Lomax |
12 | 43 |
| 9 | Valentine Holmes |
14 | 41 |
| 10 | Ronaldo Mulitalo |
0 | 40 |
| 10 | Patrick Carrigan |
8 | 40 |
Click here to view the full leaderboard.
Leaderboard correct as at April 9.
