Rugby league's premier individual awards night is in full swing at The Cutaway in Barangaroo, Sydney, with the 2026 Dally M Awards ceremony officially underway on Wednesday evening — and all eyes are on one man who isn't even in the room. Nathan Cleary, recovering from surgery on a broken leg, is widely considered the near-certain winner of the NRL's highest individual honour despite being unable to attend in person.
The Fox Sports broadcast is not scheduled to begin until 7:30pm AEST, with the ceremony itself kicking off at 8pm, leaving fans largely reliant on live updates to follow the red carpet action as it unfolds. The NRL has also opted not to reveal which players are nominated in positional categories this year, meaning a string of surprises is in store throughout the night.
Cleary's Dally M expected despite absence
The Penrith Panthers halfback underwent surgery following a serious lower leg injury and is currently recovering, yet that has done nothing to dampen expectations he will claim the game's most prestigious individual award. Panthers teammate Thomas Jenkins — who has already secured the award for the competition's top try scorer — spoke on the red carpet about his teammate's condition.
"He's absolutely devastated, but we're all rallying behind him," Jenkins said, adding that Cleary is otherwise progressing well in his recovery. Jenkins also noted the sting of his own side's recent finals exit, describing Sunday's dramatic loss as something the group now simply had to deal with and move on from.
While Cleary's presence is absent, plenty of his Penrith teammates have made the trip to Barangaroo for the occasion. In the NRLW competition, Tamika Upton is considered the favourite to take out the women's Dally M Medal.
It is understood the NRL has made specific arrangements for how the award will be handled given Cleary's inability to attend. Details of those arrangements are expected to become clear during the broadcast.
Cleary's remarkable form this season included one of the most memorable moments of the finals series — his field goal helping the Panthers defeat the Roosters in a tense finals clash.
Red carpet fashion: a more low-key affair than the Brownlow
Despite the prestige of the occasion, the Dally M red carpet remains a noticeably more relaxed affair than comparable sporting awards ceremonies in other codes — and there's a practical reason for that, according to stylist Paul Versace.
"The thing is, with the Dally M, they only get invited a week and a half out," Versace explained. "So one of the reasons why the red carpet isn't like the Brownlow is because they do get invited so late — so how are you supposed to turn out a custom look?"
Despite the compressed timeline, Versace worked with a number of attendees this year to ensure they were red carpet-ready. Among the early standouts was Tahira, daughter of Warriors enforcer James Fisher-Harris, who accompanied her father in a white gown accented by a purple orchid lei. Fisher-Harris himself kept things understated in a black-and-white suit and frameless sunglasses.
Elsewhere on the carpet, Cowboys player Reed Mahoney's partner Madison Pinkus turned heads in a floor-length turtleneck gown in shimmering gunmetal, styled with a sleek bun and minimal accessories. Canberra Raiders' Joseph Tapine arrived with wife Kirsten, whose sky-blue gown provided a splash of colour, while Brisbane Broncos' Julia Robinson brought her mother as her guest, arriving in a black draped gown with a plunging neckline.
12,000 fans flood Knights training ahead of grand final
As the awards ceremony gets underway, the city of Newcastle is in the grip of grand final fever. An extraordinary 12,000 supporters descended on an open training session held by the Newcastle Knights ahead of their appearance in Sunday's decider — a remarkable show of community support for a club that has not contested a grand final in years.
The Knights' run to the grand final — which included a hard-fought preliminary final campaign — has galvanised the Steel City, and hopes had briefly been raised that iconic Newcastle rock band Silverchair might reunite to perform at the grand final pre-game show.
Those hopes have now been firmly extinguished. Frontman Daniel Johns confirmed on social media that he, bassist Chris Joannou and drummer Ben Gillies — who have not performed together for 15 years — will not be taking the stage on Sunday. The NRL had already moved away from traditional pre-game entertainment for the grand final.
"We're way too rusty, so sorry, no can do," Johns wrote, adding that the band would be supporting the Knights "as loudly as everyone else and there in spirit." He signed off with an enthusiastic endorsement: "UP THE KNIGHTS!!! From The Chair."
The Roosters and Broncos will contest Sunday's grand final, with the Broncos having defeated the Knights in the semi-finals and the Roosters overcoming the Raiders to secure their spot in the decider.
