Inglis and Sutton Joint Players of the Year

Rabbitohs fullback Greg Inglis and South Sydney five-eighth and captain John Sutton have been crowned the first joint winners of the best and fairest award at the Club, the George Piggins Medal, at tonight’s Red and Green Ball held at The Star Event Centre in Sydney. Inglis, widely recognised as one of the superstars of the game, had a blockbuster season at fullback, having revolutionised the way the position is played as a 195cm, 105kg custodian. His kick returns from the back as well as his ability to sniff out, our to simply bust through, a hole in the opposition defensive line were a key feature of his game throughout the season. Sutton had what many pundits are describing as his best season to date, using his big frame to create a different style of play for a number six. Sutton also adapted to the forward pack on a number of occasions mid-game when rookie half Luke Keary was given opportunities in first grade this year. From the 20 games Inglis played for South Sydney this year he scored 14 tries including his 100th career NRL try against the Warriors in round five. From the 18 regular season matches he played this year he had nine try assists, 13 line breaks, eight line break assists, a huge 98 tackle breaks, six offloads, and 213 runs for a whopping 2742 metres including 78 kick returns for 1078 kick return metres. In defence, he was only forced to make 99 tackles all season, however 20 of those were try-saving tackles, 21 were one-on-one tackles and 21 were tackle saves. Sutton was equally impressive as he also took on the responsibility of the captaincy when Michael Crocker played his final NRL game of his career in round three. Sutton played in 25 of the 26 games the Rabbitohs played this season, taking third place on the all-time first grade games list with 207 games for South Sydney behind only Bob McCarthy (211) and Craig Coleman (208). Sutton scored seven tries this season and recorded nine try assists in the 23 regular season matches in which he played. Also during the regular season he made nine line breaks, and was in the top ten in the NRL for line break assists, contributing 15. Sutton also had 64 tackle breaks, 23 offloads, 262 runs for 2346 metres, 440 tackles with a tackle effectiveness of 85%, 27 one-on-one tackles, and 126 kicks in general play for 4066 metres. Both Inglis and Sutton played integral parts in the Rabbitohs’ success this year, a year in which they equalled the most number of wins in a season of all time, equal with the 1969, 1970 and 1971 South Sydney sides. The Best and Fairest award at the Rabbitohs is named after Club legend George Piggins. Piggins was not only a premiership-winning and international player, he was also a celebrated coach and official with the Club over a 40-year period. He was also one of the leading figures in the Club’s fight for re-instatement to the elite Rugby League competition in the early 2000s. Inglis and Sutton are the first players to share the George Piggins Medal since its inception in 2003, and Sutton also becomes the first player to win the award on three occasions, having also won the Medal in 2009 and 2012. Sutton remains the only play to have won the award on more than one occasion. Greg and John were presented with their George Piggins Medals by Rabbitohs Head Coach Michael Maguire. "It means a lot," said Sutton. "I've been at this Club my whole life so it means a lot." Greg Inglis was equally pleased to win it. "To be up here and standing beside this bloke (Sutton), it's unbelievable," said Inglis. "I've always spoken about the great history of this Club, but all of the photos re black and white - we still want to make our own history." Congratulations to both Greg Inglis and John Sutton on being the joint winners of the George Piggins Medal for season 2013. Other winners of awards at tonight’s Red and Green Ball were:

  • Try of the Year Award – Dylan Walker vs Titans in round 14
  • Hit of the Year Award – George Burgess vs Warriors in round 17
  • NYC Players’ Player Award – Cameron McInnes
  • NYC Best and Fairest Award – Cameron McInnes
  • Roy Asotasi Members’ Choice Award – Issac Luke
  • The Burrow Appreciation Award – Issac Luke
  • John Sattler Rookie of the Year Award – Dylan Walker
  • Bob McCarthy Clubman of the Year Award – Matt King
  • Jack Rayner Players’ Player Award – Sam Burgess