Penrith is slammed by footy fans after Clive Churchill Medallist Dylan Edwards was brutally IGNORED by teammates and is mocked by co-captain Nathan Cleary
- Many Panthers players didn’t acknowledge Dylan Edwards’ individual honour
- Edwards was seen shaking his head before accepting coveted award on stage
- Very different reaction when Nathan Cleary won Clive Churchill medal in 2021
- Questions have been raised about the arrogance of back to back NRL premiers
Footy fans have questioned why many Penrith players openly ignored star fullback Dylan Edwards after he was announced as the winner of the prestigious Clive Churchill medal at the NRL grand final.
In brutal scenes at Accor Stadium on Sunday night, Edwards, 26, was brushed by some premiership-winning teammates when Channel 9 identity James Bracey confirmed the individual honour.
Edwards could be seen shaking his head as the likes of Jarome Luai and Charlie Staines didn’t publicly acknowledge the accolade.
It was a different story from Penrith’s NSW Cup players, who warmly celebrated Edwards’ coveted individual achievement.
In contrast, when Nathan Cleary was crowned the Clive Churchill medal winner following Penrith’s 14-12 win over South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium last October, the co-captain was widely mobbed by his teammates.
Edwards could be seen shaking his head as the likes of Jarome Luai and Charlie Staines didn’t publicly acknowledge the accolade (pictured, making his way to the stage)
In brutal scenes at Accor Stadium on Sunday night, Edwards, 26, was brushed by some premiership-winning teammates when Channel 9 identity James Bracey confirmed the individual honour
Edwards, who was a standout from start to finish across the 80 minutes finishing with two try assists, produced a clutch play when he tackled runaway Eels centre Bailey Simonsson into touch in the second half.
It evoked memories of Scott Sattler’s famous cover tackle for the Panthers in the 2003 NRL decider versus the Roosters.
On-field, Panthers players rushed to Edwards after the try saving effort and were seen hugging him during their lap of honour — making the presentation snub even more puzzling.
At the post-match press conference, Cleary mocked Edwards by rolling his eyes and pretending to snore when the humble Clive Churchill medallist deflected the attention back to his team.
‘It’s a bit surreal at the moment,’ Edwards said.
‘Honestly it’s a credit to the rest of the team. They make my job incredibly easy.’
At the post-match press conference, Cleary mocked Edwards by rolling his eyes and pretending to snore when the humble Clive Churchill medallist deflected the attention back to his team
Well aware Cleary was winding him up, Edwards added : ‘Nah, it’s true! They do. I’m lucky to be a part of this team.
‘They are my brothers and I love going to work with them each week.’
Despite his grand final heroics, Edwards was overlooked for Australia’s squad ahead of the Rugby League World Cup in the United Kingdom.
He was named as one of three standby players alongside Dally M Medal winner Nicho Hynes and Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook.
As Penrith celebrated going back to back on Monday, their collective arrogance was evident after prop James Fisher-Harris declared arch rivals Parramatta ‘are our sons’ before adding the 2022 team is the ‘best ever’ Panthers squad.
Departing hooker Api Koroisau also raised eyebrows when he sarcastically told the crowd at Bluebet Stadium he would ‘probably do the same thing (win premierships) at the Tigers’ – who finished with the wooden spoon this year.
It followed five-eighth Jarome Luai posting a racist slur on Instagram from the sheds in a photo with teammate Jaeman Salmon – before deleting it hours later.
Dylan Edwards was a popular choice as the Clive Churchill medallist – but seemingly not in the eyes of his teammates