The NRL season is underway and has reached a third of the regular season - just like the race for the 2024 Ken Irvine medal and other top scorer awards (like the Dally M top scorer awards) in the league.
The question for many rugby league fans in the US and outside, especially those interested in predictions or some over-the-pub amateur analysis, is which player or team will eventually claim the biggest top scorer and team prize before the 2024 NRL season runs out?
Well, this article has got you covered. It explores the highest-scoring NRL players (the top NRL point scorers). According to betting expert, Kate Richardson, these stats can help bettors refine their picks and boost their winning chances.
After all, the right information will help punters make the right picks. Richardson also advises that punters should consider follow MightyTips for the best betting tips and analysis. Meanwhile, you may want to pay attention to this one if you're hunting for new SA betting sites, since the platform also regularly provides updates on the best betting sites in South Africa as well as their offers.
Besides finding the latest 2024 NRL points leaderboard, you'll also access the 2024 season standings and table, showing the best (and of course, worst) performing sides in the Australian rugby league, plus a rundown of a few NRL players with 1,000+ points so far in their career.
Players get ranked by points in what's called the Dally M leaderboard based on how good and fair they play. At the end of the season, the NRL's top players claim the prestigious NRL Dally M Medal. Meanwhile, the points accrue to the players based on votes on the three best players of the match, and the league publicizes the figures until the 12th round. Afterwards, voting goes behind closed doors, till the end of the season.
Last year, the NRL Grand Final Week saw Newcastle Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga clock the medal for the most points in 2023. But all indicators show that a different winner is poised for the award this year. Here's what the rundown of the 2024 National Rugby League Dally M points Leaderboard looks like so far.
| Player | Points |
| D. Edwards | 30 |
| N. Hynes | 24 |
| V. Kikau | 23 |
| T. Trbojevic | 21 |
| Z. Lomax | 21 |
| D. Cherry-Evans | 20 |
| I. Yeo | 20 |
| I. Katao | 18 |
| P. Carrigan | 18 |
| B. Hunt | 17 |
The Ken Irvine Medal
The NRL's top try scorer has been given a "Ken Irvine Medal" since 2018. The award was renamed after Ken Irvine, a legendary try-scorer. Ken Irvine has been the fastest man in his time, alongside scoring 385 tries in all 432 first-class games of his career. That said, here's what the current try scorer ladder looks like in the NRL.
The top try scorer is named during the annual award ceremony. Here's what the top try scorers in the sport look like at Round 11.
| Name | Team | Tries |
| Sunia Turuva | Panthers | 9 |
| Reece Walsh | Broncos | 9 |
| Ronaldo Mulitalo | Sharks | 8 |
| Jeremiah Nanai | Cowboys | 8 |
| Joseph Manu | Roosters | 8 |
| Jack Bostock | Dolphins | 8 |
| Deine Mariner | Broncos | 8 |
| Tyrell Sloan | Dragons | 7 |
| Ryan Papenhuyzen | Storm | 7 |
| Zac Lomax | Dragons | 7 |
| Tom Trbojevic | Sea Eagles | 7 |
| Xavier Coates | Storm | 6 |
| Maika Sivo | Eels | 6 |
| Jamayne Isaako | Dolphins | 6 |
| Alofiana Khan-Pereira | Titans | 6 |
| Dominic Young | Roosters | 6 |
| Reuben Garrick | Sea Eagles | 6 |
| Ezra Mam | Broncos | 6 |
| Daniel Tupou | Roosters | 6 |
The Sharks and the Panthers are the teams taking the lead on the NRL table, followed by the Melbourne Storm, the Dolphins, and the Sydney Roosters. Here are the most recent 2024 NRL standings to help you guide your predictions and overall fan experience.
| Team | P | PD |
| Sharks | 9 | 116 |
| Panthers | 9 | 72 |
| Storm | 9 | 49 |
| Dolphins | 9 | 58 |
| Roosters | 10 | 115 |
| Broncos | 10 | 58 |
| Raiders | 9 | -14 |
| Sea Eagles | 10 | 31 |
| Bulldogs | 9 | 19 |
| Knights | 10 | -13 |
| Dragons | 10 | -56 |
| Cowboys | 10 | -18 |
| Eels | 9 | -71 |
| Warriors | 10 | -9 |
| Wests Tigers | 9 | -69 |
| Titans | 9 | -87 |
| Rabbitohs | 9 | -180 |
At least 58 athletes have scored 1,000 or more points in the National Rugby League, and preceding premiership leagues like the Super League, ARL, and the NSWRL. Here's a ranking of the top NRL scorers in this elite list of both current and retired athletes based on the NRL statistics database. That said, all members of this list who somehow qualify to be among NRL's greatest players (except Broncos' Adams Reynolds) no longer play in the game.
| Ranking | Points | Player | Club/Clubs | Career Duration |
| 1 | 2,786 | Cameron Smith | Melbourne Storm | 2002–2020 |
| 2 | 2,418 | Hazem El Masri | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 1996–2009 |
| 3 | 2,374 | Jarrod Croker | Canberra Raiders | 2009–2023 |
| 4 | 2,292 | Adam Reynolds | South Sydney Rabbitohs, Brisbane Broncos | 2012– |
| 5 | 2,222 | Johnathan Thurston | Bulldogs, North Queensland Cowboys | 2002–2018 |
| 6 | 2,176 | Andrew Johns | Newcastle Knights | 1993–2007 |
| 7 | 2,107 | Jason Taylor | Western Suburbs Magpies, North Sydney Bears, Northern Eagles, Parramatta Eels | 1990–2001 |
| 8 | 2,034 | Daryl Halligan | North Sydney Bears, Bulldogs | 1991–2000 |
| 9 | 1,971 | Mick Cronin | Parramatta Eels | 1977–1986 |
| 10 | 1,917 | Graham Eadie | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 1971–1983 |
| 11 | 1,841 | Eric Simms | South Sydney | 1965–1975 |
| 12 | 1,825 | James Maloney | Melbourne Storm, New Zealand Warriors, Sydney Roosters, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Penrith Panthers | 2009–2019 |
| 13 | 1,793 | Luke Burt | Parramatta Eels | 1999–2012 |
| 14 | 1,730 | Michael Gordon | Penrith Panthers, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Parramatta Eels, Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans | 2006–2019 |
| 15 | 1,690 | Ryan Girdler | Illawarra Steelers, Penrith Panthers | 1991–2004 |
| 16 | 1,604 | Clinton Schifcofske | South Queensland Crushers, Parramatta Eels, Canberra Raiders | 1996–2006 |
| 16 | 1,604 | Craig Fitzgibbon | Illawarra Steelers, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters | 1998–2009 |
| 18 | 1,554 | Graeme Langlands | St. George | 1963–1976 |
| 19 | 1,554 | Jamie Lyon | Parramatta Eels, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 2000–2004, 2007–2016 |
| 20 | 1,519 | Keith Barnes | Balmain | 1955–1968 |
One of the gifts that the NRL offers to the global Rugby League world has to be a long list of star athletes that grace the premiership week in, and week out. This guide has provided some of these top premiership stars, alongside the team's standing in the 2024 season against one another.
But while the winners of the 2024 league and individual player awards may not be known, it's clear that rugby league fans can expect to see more impressive athletes and points records in the coming months.