Nate Myles will line up in Game 1 of State of Origin as the only Queensland player to have been nominated for Frownlow Medal honours, against a NSW team containing six nominees.

Myles was recently nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame in recognition of his strenuous efforts to spread the message of Rugby League to the wider public.

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. The first medal was awarded to Sydney Roosters and New Zealand representative Shaun Kenny-Dowall in 2015.

The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players who receive media attention for similarly scandalous behaviour and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Todd Carney.

“A lot of Nate’s best work for Queensland has been done in the corridors, before and after games,” explained Queensland coach Kevin Walters, who nominated Myles for the award.

“Years ago, after a hard game, he found himself in the corridor and stayed there late into the night until he could produce something which he thought was worthy of being shared with the world. That’s the kind of quiet dedication we want in Queensland Origin players and that’s why he’s such a positive role model to young people all over Australia.”

Myles received the nomination at a special ceremony at The Crowne Plaza in Terrigal, alongside old friend Willie Mason, and local families who had turned out to pay tribute to the hard running forward.

During the official conferral of the nomination, when players are traditionally asked to take a knee, Myles stripped naked and simply stated;