Greg Alexander has made a bombshell admission, revealing he is one of the NRL’s Dally M voters for the 2024 season.
Speaking on Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy, Alexander disclosed that he awarded points in the North Queensland Cowboys and Newcastle Knights clash played on Saturday afternoon.
“I gave points over the weekend,” admitted Alexander nonchalantly, much to the surprise of co-host Andrew Voss.
“Am I breaking any rules if I say this is who I gave points to?”
“Tom Dearden three (votes), two to Adam Elliot, and one to the match-winner Chad Townsend.”
While voters are not prohibited from revealing they’re involvement with the voting system, it was a surprise given the anonymity held by each judge and the heavy criticism the Dally M system has been under so far this season.
Fans were shocked to see Dolphins’ fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow poll a vote in his side’s round 1 loss to the Cowboys, while Nicho Hynes polling six points in Round 1 also caused controversy.
NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley defended the current selection panel after Round 1, saying “it’s a matter of opinion," during his weekly press briefing.
“They are all high-profile former players, and it shouldn’t matter who they are.
“It’s about the credibility and the integrity of the process, so it shouldn’t matter who is doing the selections as long as they’re people who are qualified to do it.”
Alexander played 265 games across his 16-year career, captaining the Penrith Panthers to their maiden premiership in 1991, and is highly regarded throughout the NRL community.
After Round 2 votes were revealed on Monday morning, Nicho Hynes sits atop the leaderboard with 12, three clear of Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles’ fullbacks Ryan Papenhuyzen and Tom Trbojevic respectively.