Petero Civoniceva Medal update: Contenders surge forward as tally goes behind closed doors
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Jacob Alick, Tyson Smoothy and Tristan Sailor have surged into equal second on the Petero Civoniceva Medal tally - alongside Central Queensland lock Lachlan Hubner - after Round 12 of the competition.
As voting now moves behind closed doors for the end-of-season award, Central Queensland's Trey Browne and PNG's Morea Morea hold strong in first position, both moving up two points since Round 9.
Morea Morea has been in the lead since the start of the year while Browne has been alongside him since a public reveal of results in Round 6.
But a number of new faces have strengthened their position in the medal standings, with Alick, Smoothy and Sailor advancing from equal fourth to equal second over the past three weeks.
Hubner has also moved up from third spot.
Burleigh coach Luke Burt said he had seen improvement from Gold Coast Titans affiliate Alick (main image) from last year and was not surprised he was currently in the running for the Petero Civoniceva Medal, having played an instrumental role so far in the Bears sitting in the top two on the competition ladder.
"He’s progressed from last year," Burt said.
"He’s learned to play at this level and he’s starting to take control of our left edge and building really good combinations with Tommy (Steadman), Sami (Sauiluma) and Ken (Maumalo) on that edge.
"He’s a very skillful ball payer.
"It doesn’t surprise me at all that's he's there. He’s been very good for us this year, Jakey. He’s an important part in our side and is knocking at the door to get a crack at the NRL soon."
Meanwhile, Smoothy has been key in Wynnum Manly's resurgence over the past few weeks.
The Seagulls started season 2023 with three straight wins but then only found one victory from their next five games.
They had a bye in Round 9 and since then have started on a strong run, stringing another three wins together against PNG, Tweed and Townsville.
Smoothy has helped lead this, alongside five-eighth Josh Rogers, and coach Mat Head said it was always only going to be a matter of time until the team's combinations clicked with the Brisbane Broncos development player.
"The biggest thing for us is we were always going to improve the more we saw Tyson and Josh Rogers," Head said.
"As the season gets along, that’s going to get better for us. We’re going to put in more good performances and that’s off the back of Tyson.
"Our boys are starting to get a few combinations with him. When the team’s going well, that’s going to help Tyson and when Tyson is going well, that's going to help the team.
"He brings a lot of calmness, a lot of professionalism and he understands what we want to do as a football team.
"With the Broncos, he comes back with a certain amount of fitness and determination to get the NRL."
The medal tally after Round 12 will be the last time the standings go public before the winner is revealed at the Queensland Rugby League's end-of-season awards ceremony.
The tally following Round 12 is below, with the top 11 players listed.
Petero Civoniceva Medal standings after Round 12
| Name | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Trey Browne | Central Queensland Capras | 13 |
| Morea Morea | PNG Hunters | 13 |
| Jacob Alick | Burleigh Bears | 10 |
| Lachlan Hubner | Central Queensland Capras | 10 |
| Tristan Sailor | Souths Logan Magpies | 10 |
| Tyson Smoothy | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 10 |
| Trai Fuller | Redcliffe Dolphins | 9 |
| Guy Hamilton | Burleigh Bears | 9 |
| Cody Hunter | Redcliffe Dolphins | 9 |
| Blake Mozer | Souths Logan Magpies | 9 |
| Josh Rogers | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 9 |
The winner will be unveiled at this year’s end-of-season QRL awards which will also reveal the Hostplus Cup team of the year as well as other major awards.
*Points tally collated by QRL scores coordinator Ken Cooper
Main image: Jacob Alick in Round 12. Photo: Dylan Parker/QRL
