There are few more official ways to declare someone 'the next big thing' than for the league to rate them the best junior player of the year - and between 2008 and 2017, that's what the NRL did annually.
The Dally M Under-20s Player of the Year award is not to be confused with the Rookie of the Year gong. While the rookie of the year goes to the youngster who has best adapted to the demands of the NRL, the under-20s award went to the most talented (but untested) youngsters still in the development pool.
It's a great way to hype someone up, but it also heaps expectation upon a young man's shoulders - and each winner has dealt with it in different ways. Though most are still playing and some are gone from the game not one of the most talented juniors in the land has become a premiership winner - though some have come closer than others.
9. Jayden Brailey (2016 - Cronulla Sharks)
Another highly-rated youngster, Brailey was a driving force behind the Sharks side that almost matched Penrith for NYC dominance in the competitionโs later stages. He emerged at a great time too, directly after the Sharks had won their maiden premiership and veteran hooker Michael Ennis was set to retire, making his NRL debut in Round 1 of 2017.
Despite suffering a broken jaw in his rookie season, it was a great first three years for Brailey as the Sharks maintained their standards and continued to play finals football, but he was ultimately forced to look elsewhere by the emergence of his brother Blayke (also a hooker), and took a deal to join Newcastle.
Unfortunately for Brailey, after playing nearly every game across three seasons in the Shire, in his second game for the Knights he ruptured his ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Though he returned and played through most of 2021, helping the Knights to reach the finals, that bad luck returned in 2022 with an Achilles tear restricting him to just five appearances as the Knights have struggled.
I really wish we could get some version of the NYC comp back.