Jahrome Hughes, James Tedesco and Scott Drinkwater are all but locked into the top three spots, but the order remains up in the air after Round 24 in this year's Zero Tackle NRL MVP race.
As it stands with just three rounds remaining in the 2024 season, Hughes, Tedesco and Drinkwater are separated by just nine votes.
Drinkwater though has a bye with the North Queensland Cowboys, and therefore only two opportunities to score points over the final weeks of the season.
Hughes had his lead cut slightly this weekend, managing ten votes compared to James Tedesco's 17 for the Sydney Roosters, with the gap now just three votes in total.
Tom Trbojevic, who still sits in fourth, has also closed in and is still in mathematical contention after a perfect round, but he is 48 votes behind Hughes at the top, with a maximum of 60 votes remaining.
Outside of Trbojevic, Jake Clifford and Lachlan Galvin were the only other players to score a perfect 20, with Cameron Munster, Isaah Yeo, Dominic Young, James Tedesco, Jacob Kiraz, Matt Burton, Jacob Liddle, Ben Hunt, Jesse Ramien and Siosifa Talakai the other players to be voted as best on ground by at least one judge over a weekend where votes were as wide ranging as they have been all season.
All of Daly Cherry-Evans, Jacob Kiraz, Ben Hunt and Isaah Yeo have all either cemented or moved into the top ten with healthy vote totals as well.
To remind you how this works, each week, our panel - made up of Matt Clements (Zero Tackle founder), Dan Nichols, 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.
Here are all the votes from Round 24.
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Cameron Munster | Cameron Munster | Isaah Yeo | Cameron Munster |
| 4 | Isaah Yeo | Isaah Yeo | Cameron Munster | Isaah Yeo |
| 3 | Jahrome Hughes | Jahrome Hughes | Jahrome Hughes | Tyran Wishart |
| 2 | Tyran Wishart | Tyran Wishart | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa |
| 1 | Eliesa Katoa | Eliesa Katoa | Casey McLean | Jahrome Hughes |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic | Tom Trbojevic |
| 4 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Haumole Olakau'atu | Daly Cherry-Evans | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| 3 | Jason Saab | Daly Cherry-Evans | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad |
| 2 | Lehi Hopoate | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Lehi Hopoate | Lehi Hopoate |
| 1 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Lehi Hopoate | Addin Fonua-Blake | Jason Saab |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Dominic Young | James Tedesco | Dominic Young | Dominic Young |
| 4 | James Tedesco | Dominic Young | James Tedesco | James Tedesco |
| 3 | Joseph Manu | Joseph Manu | Joseph Manu | Joseph Manu |
| 2 | Angus Crichton | Naufahu Whyte | Naufahu Whyte | Clinton Gutherson |
| 1 | Clinton Gutherson | Clinton Gutherson | Clinton Gutherson | Will Penisini |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jacob Kiraz | Matt Burton | Jacob Kiraz | Jacob Kiraz |
| 4 | Connor Tracey | Jacob Kiraz | Matt Burton | Connor Tracey |
| 3 | Matt Burton | Connor Tracey | Connor Tracey | Matt Burton |
| 2 | Josh Addo-Carr | Stephen Crichton | Josh Addo-Carr | Josh Addo-Carr |
| 1 | Stephen Crichton | Josh Addo-Carr | Bronson Xerri | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jake Clifford | Jake Clifford | Jake Clifford | Jake Clifford |
| 4 | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater | Scott Drinkwater |
| 3 | Tom Dearden | Valentine Holmes | Valentine Holmes | Valentine Holmes |
| 2 | Valentine Holmes | Tom Dearden | Tom Dearden | Kyle Feldt |
| 1 | Kyle Feldt | Kyle Feldt | Kyle Feldt | Tom Dearden |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Lachlan Galvin | Lachlan Galvin | Lachlan Galvin | Lachlan Galvin |
| 4 | Damien Cook | Keaon Koloamatangi | Keaon Koloamatangi | Heath Mason |
| 3 | Heath Mason | Cameron Murray | Heath Mason | Cameron Murray |
| 2 | Taane Milne | Heath Mason | Cameron Murray | Damien Cook |
| 1 | Keaon Koloamatangi | Isaiah Papali'i | Isaiah Papali'i | Keaon Koloamatangi |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jacob Liddle | Ben Hunt | Jacob Liddle | Jacob Liddle |
| 4 | Ben Hunt | Keano Kini | Keano Kini | Keano Kini |
| 3 | Christian Tuipulotu | Jacob Liddle | Christian Tuipulotu | Jaydn Su'A |
| 2 | Keano Kini | Christian Tuipulotu | Ben Hunt | Ben Hunt |
| 1 | Zac Lomax | Jaydn Su'A | Zac Lomax | Christian Tuipulotu |
| Matt Clements | Scott Pryde | Dan Nichols | Ethan Lee Chalk | |
| 5 | Jesse Ramien | Jesse Ramien | Jesse Ramien | Siosifa Talakai |
| 4 | Dane Gagai | Briton Nikora | Dane Gagai | Dane Gagai |
| 3 | Oregon Kaufusi | Dane Gagai | Briton Nikora | Jesse Ramien |
| 2 | Cameron McInnes | Cameron McInnes | Oregon Kaufusi | Kalyn Ponga |
| 1 | Siosifa Talakai | Kalyn Ponga | Kalyn Ponga | Briton Nikora |
Top Ten
| PLAYER | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jahrome Hughes |
10 | 228 |
| 2 | James Tedesco |
17 | 225 |
| 3 | Scott Drinkwater |
16 | 217 |
| 4 | Tom Trbojevic |
20 | 180 |
| 5 | Sam Walker |
0 | 148 |
| 6 | Dylan Edwards |
0 | 141 |
| 6 | Daly Cherry-Evans |
15 | 141 |
| 6 | Jacob Kiraz |
19 | 141 |
| 9 | Ben Hunt |
13 | 132 |
| 10 | Isaah Yeo |
17 | 124 |
Click here to view the full leaderboard.
Leaderboard correct as at August 20.
