Jason Taumalolo, he of the code hopping NFL aspirations, accomplished, by winning the Dally M medal, something that had not occurred in longer than he has been alive.
He is the first running forward to win the award in 27 years and in that time, the only other forward to win it was a nine.
He will share the award with Cooper Cronk, who also had a sensational season.
The last pure forward to win the Dally M was Cronulla Sharks legend Gavin Miller, back in 1989.
Taumalolo was more than deserving, so any mention of the award coming his way as an attempt by the NRL to get him to make a long-term commitment to rugby is just pure speculation.
Cronk did some speculating of his own, his theory being that in many instances, forwards are not on the field as long as some of the other positions, even though Taumalolo has steadily increased his minutes over his brief stint.
Taumalolo broke a trend in place since the 1990s that has seem players from the spine dominate the Dally M award. He also has the recognition of his peers in the form of the RLPA Players Champion.
