Cameron Munster’s absence won’t stop Queensland from winning the State of Origin decider 8-6 at Lang Park this evening.
The Maroons will be without their star play maker but will still field more nominees for The Fronwlow Medal and will thus stop the trophy from travelling south of the Tweed.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while NRL star Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.
Munster is himself a Frownlow nominee and has been ruled out of the big game with COVID-19, but his team still boasts eight players who have covered themselves in glory off the field, compared to the Blues who could only find 6.
It’s impossible to win a game of rugby league without a Frownlow nominee or two in the team. Penrith fielded a number of nominees in the grand final in 2021, including star Nathan Cleary. In fact, the team itself earned a nomination when players broke the trophy during post-match celebrations – proving that rugby league success and Frownlow glory go hand in hand.
Both captains for tonight’s clash have been nominated, and lead teams with the following nominees:
Queensland
Kalyn Ponga
Selwyn Cobbo
Valentine Holmes
Corey Oates
Daly Cherry-Evans
Ben Hunt
Josh Papali’i
Jai Arrow
Ironically, many of these players earned their first nomination for breaking curfew during a Queensland Origin camp some years ago.
New South Wales
James Tedesco
Stephen Crichton
Nathan Cleary
Api Koroisau
Junior Paulo
Siosifa Talakai
Image: http://www.nrl.com
The Frownlow Medal 