GAME DAY presents the End of Season Awards
THESE are the now annual Game Day Awards, recognising excellence in the Intrust Super Cup. Trophies will be mailed to all winners soon. No, seriously, check your mailboxes.
Player of the Year: This season has produced an incredible array of individual stars. Pre-season favourite Cody Walker has been injured for the majority of the year, while the cause of standouts such as Burleigh's Henare Wells have suffered because of their team's late-season fade outs. The winner of the Game Day Player of the Year award must come from a team still in contention for the finals in the last round.
The nominations are: Shaun Nona (Northern Pride), Cameron Munster (Easts Tigers), Jake Granville (Wynnum Manly) and Matt Parcell (Ipswich Jets).
The winner is: Matt Parcell from the Ipswich Jets.
Parcell is a legitimate NRL star in waiting and has usurped Jake Granville to be the best hooker in the competition. Parcell is one of those players who looks comfortable in everything he does and like most men coached by Ben and Shane Walker he has incredible football instincts. Congratulations Matt, you deserve the award for an outstanding season.
Coach of the Year: The Intrust Super Cup is the greatest nursery for coaching talent with Paul Green, Anthony Griffin and Rick Stone among recent graduates of the competition.
The nominations are: Ben and Shane Walker (Ipswich Jets), Craig Ingebrigtsen (Easts Tigers), Michael Marum (PNG Hunters) and Jason Demetriou (Northern Pride).
The winner is: Michael Marum from the PNG Hunters.
This was a pain-staking decision to make. Marum deserves his Game Day Award because while the Hunters may not make the finals the fact they have been so competitive this year is truly amazing. While the Hunters are full time, the conditions they live in are poor; yet Marum has made his men want to be away from their families for weeks at a time just to be part of his team.
Rookie of the Year: Despite the National Under 20s competition, some of the best young guns play in the Intrust Super Cup. There is a reason coaches send their best young players to this competition, because if you can succeed there as a rookie you are likely to make an impact on the NRL.
The nominations are: Henare Wells (Burleigh Bears), Carlin Anderson (Ipswich Jets), Josh Cleeland (Ipswich Jets), Garry Lo (PNG Hunters)
The winner is: Garry Lo. Lo has been a revelation this season and engineered several wins for the Hunters even though he is a winger. With 24 tries to his name he is sure to become an NRL cult-hero.
Try of the Year: The inclusion of the PNG Hunters has ensured they dominate this field, but it came down to a Garry Lo special against a piece of Cameron Munster brilliance.
The nominations are: Cameron Munster (Easts Tigers) v Redcliffe in round 20. Munster received an off-load on half way and scooted down field before putting in a perfectly timed chip kick which he regathered and then held off covered defenders to score under the posts.
Garry Lo (PNG Hunters) v Norths Devils in round 12. Lo fielded a Devils grubber in his in-goal and then raced past the entire Devils team to score an incredible 108 metre try at Bishop Park.
The winner is: Garry Lo vs Norths Devils in round 12.
* The official QRL Gala Dinner annual award winners will be announced on September 10.
