Fullbacks fire as race for top spot tightens: Zero Tackle’s NRL MVP, Round 12

Scott Drinkwater has shot to a narrow one-vote lead in Zero Tackle's NRL MVP at the end of Round 12.

The North Queensland Cowboys' fullback takes the lead from the injured Tom Trbojevic, who will now likely slide down the leaderboard over the coming weeks.

Dylan Edwards, on the back of a 14-vote performance, is just one vote behind him, while another fullback in Sydney Roosters' captain and overlooked New South Wales hopeful James Tedesco sits fourth.

Tedesco, who is just six votes off Drinkwater's lead, has been in the top ten each of the last two seasons and could use his lack of an Origin selection to fire into the lead over the coming weeks.

Tedesco was one of four players to score a perfect 20 over Round 12, joined by Valentine Holmes, Jarome Luai and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

Jacob Kiraz, Josh Curran, Tommy Talau, Luke Brooks, Lehi Hopoate, David Fifita and Keano Kini split the top spots over the rest of the games.

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 12.

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Jacob Kiraz	Josh Curran	Jacob Kiraz	Jacob Kiraz
4	Jacob Preston	Jacob Kiraz	Josh Curran	Reed Mahoney
3	Bronson Xerri	Jacob Preston	Bronson Xerri	Matt Burton
2	Josh Curran	Bronson Xerri	Connor Tracey	Connor Tracey
1	Reed Mahoney	Connor Tracey	Reed Mahoney	Bronson Xerri

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Valentine Holmes	Valentine Holmes	Valentine Holmes	Jeremiah Nanai
4	Chad Townsend	Chad Townsend	Chad Townsend	Chad Townsend
3	Scott Drinkwater	Tom Dearden	Scott Drinkwater	Valentine Holmes
2	Lachlan Galvin	Scott Drinkwater	Lachlan Galvin	Lachlan Galvin
1	Tom Dearden	Lachlan Galvin	Tom Dearden	Reuben Cotter

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Tommy Talau	Luke Brooks	Luke Brooks	Lehi Hopoate
4	Lehi Hopoate	Lehi Hopoate	Reuben Garrick	Luke Brooks
3	Jahrome Hughes	Reuben Garrick	Sua Fa'alogo	Eliesa Katoa
2	Eliesa Katoa	Sua Fa'alogo	Jahrome Hughes	Sua Fa'alogo
1	Taniela Paseka	Jahrome Hughes	Lehi Hopoate	Tommy Talau

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	James Tedesco	James Tedesco	James Tedesco	James Tedesco
4	Sam Walker	Sam Walker	Sam Walker	Sam Walker
3	Joseph Manu	Joseph Manu	Joseph Manu	Naufahu Whyte
2	Angus Crichton	Naufahu Whyte	Angus Crichton	Victor Radley
1	Naufahu Whyte	Angus Crichton	Terrell May	Joseph Manu

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Jarome Luai	Jarome Luai	Jarome Luai	Jarome Luai
4	Jack Cole	Isaah Yeo	Dylan Edwards	Dylan Edwards
3	Dylan Edwards	Dylan Edwards	Isaah Yeo	Mitch Kenny
2	Isaah Yeo	Jack Cole	Mitch Kenny	Isaah Yeo
1	Liam Henry	Mitch Kenny	Jack Cole	Jack Cole

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Keaon Koloamatangi	Keaon Koloamatangi	Keaon Koloamatangi	Latrell Mitchell
4	Latrell Mitchell	Latrell Mitchell	Latrell Mitchell	Keaon Koloamatangi
3	Dylan Brown	Davvy Moale	Dylan Brown	Dylan Brown
2	Maika Sivo	Dylan Brown	Maika Sivo	Bryce Cartwright
1	Davvy Moale	Kelma Tuilagi	Davvy Moale	Davvy Moale

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Keano Kini	David Fifita	Keano Kini	David Fifita
4	David Fifita	Keano Kini	Reece Walsh	Reece Walsh
3	Reece Walsh	Reece Walsh	David Fifita	Keano Kini
2	Beau Fermor	Payne Haas	Payne Haas	Beau Fermor
1	Payne Haas	Beau Fermor	Beau Fermor	Ezra Mam

 

	Matt Clements	Scott Pryde	Dan Nichols	Ethan Lee Chalk
5	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
4	Herbie Farnworth	Mitch Barnett	Herbie Farnworth	Herbie Farnworth
3	Te Maire Martin	Herbie Farnworth	Mitch Barnett	Kodi Nikorima
2	Mitch Barnett	Te Maire Martin	Kodi Nikorima	Mitch Barnett
1	Kodi Nikorima	Kodi Nikorima	Te Maire Martin	Jamayne Isaako

Top Ten

RANK		PLAYER	LAST ROUND	TOTAL
1		Scott Drinkwater	8	108
2		Dylan Edwards	14	107
3		Tom Trbojevic	0	104
4		James Tedesco	20	102
5		Zac Lomax	0	91
5		Patrick Carrigan	0	91
7		Viliame Kikau	0	84
8		Jahrome Hughes	6	83
8		Isaah Yeo	11	83
8		Jacob Kiraz	19	83