The regular season has passed us by and the NRL’s night of nights is almost upon us — so who will earn selection in the Dally M Team of the Season?

In the overall category, there’s a cut and dry favourite, with Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes widely tipped to win the Dally M Medal.

That award is decided by a 3-2-1 voting system with two judges casting votes per game, but position by position is decided differently.

Judges vote on their best players in each position at “regular intervals throughout the season” with a final Judgement coming after 27 rounds are played.

Therefore, overall votes don’t decide if a player does or doesn’t get named, with consistency across the season being key to earn votes across the various stages.

However, should a player finish in the top three in overall Dally M voting, they automatically earn selection in the Team of the Year, with the NRL releasing a shortlist of names position by position on Monday.

So here, foxsports.com.au casts their eye over which players could be named the best in their respective positions this season!

And scroll to the bottom to cast your vote on every position

FULLBACK: Dylan Edwards (31), James Tedesco (23), Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (17)

Analysis: After voting closed, Panthers superstar Dylan Edwards was the man leading the overall leaderboard with 31 votes. He begun the year with a bang and played the first 11 games of the season. While he has been solid to close out the year, it’s going to be tough for him to have consistently got the nod by the voting panel, having featured only six times to close out his campaign due to Origin and a knee injury. That knee looked to have hampered his performances at the back-end of the season also, which could also hurt his chances of earning votes as the best fullback in 2024. Meanwhile, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow featured in only 16 games this year following Origin and a hamstring blow, before being shifted to the centres to end the season. He’s been included as a nominee for this team, but will a limited amount of game time, it’s unlikely he surpasses the final candidate. Tabuai-Fidow still scored 16 tries to six in 14th on the try-scoring leaderboard, but his statistics are dwarfed by that of Tedesco. The Rooster skipper is set to get the nod here, having put together a massive campaign that includes the most running metres of any player to date, the sixth most line breaks and the most tackle breaks with a staggering 167. He played a crucial role in the Tricolours’ late surge, winning five of their last six games. You could argue being dropped from the Origin side has only boosted his chances of being in the Team of the Year, allowing him to be a consistent figure throughout the season.

Verdict: James Tedesco

WINGERS: Zac Lomax (21), Brian To’o (8), Jacob Kiraz (7), Alofiana Khan-Pereia, Will Warbrick

Analysis: Lets start this off by getting one wing spot out of the way here, with Zac Lomax having a career-best season. The Dragons flyer, after being shifting from the centre to the wing by new coach Shane Flanagan, was simply excellent and sat equal 10th when voting went behind closed doors with 21 votes. He scored 14 tries, had the fourth most carries of any player and his aerial prowess was on full display throughout the whole 2024 campaign, earning him Origin selection. Lomax was the best winger consistently this season and will as such earn a spot on the wing. As for the second spot? It’s up for grabs. We know overall votes don’t matter when it comes to the Team of the Year, so if it goes off pure try-scoring ability, Alofiana Khan-Pereira would earn selection. He scored 24 tries in 21 games, showcasing his ability to cross the line. However he’s surpassed by other wingers when it comes to tackle breaks, carries and overall influence on a clash. Will Warbrick was also solid for the Storm and was named as one of five candidates, but there’s two players who stand above the bunch in Jacob Kiraz and Brian To’o. Both players are genuine metre eaters and sit second and third respectively when it comes to running metres. To’o is superior when it comes to tackle breaks and has played three less games due to Origin commitments. The Panthers gun also leads when it comes to line breaks by one, but Kiraz has carried the ball 95 more times, albeit in three more games. So who gets the nod? Our tip is Brian To’o, who has once again been excellent on the wing for the Panthers.

Verdict: Zac Lomax and Brian To’o

CENTRES: Herbie Farnworth (7), Valentine Holmes (6), Jesse Ramien (3), Stephen Crichton (1), Kotoni Staggs

Analysis: Another position with an obvious selection — Stephen Crichton. While he had only polled one vote after 12 rounds, he was arguably the signing of the season and is a strong chance of being named one of the centres in this team. His leadership was invaluable for the Bulldogs, and while his stats don’t exactly match it with the top dogs, he was still one of the best players in the competition this season and will likely win Dally M Captain of the Year. Outside of him, four players will battle for the final spot, with the first being Cowboys gun Valentine Holmes. Holmes had an indifferent season, but managed to score the most points of any player and deliver some almighty performances. However, his inconsistent campaign could see him miss out from this line-up. Herbie Farnworth also took to life at the Dolphins like a duck to water and tallied the 31st most running metres this year, while Kotoni Staggs had a massive end to his season with the Broncos. He scored once against the Eels in Round 25 and twice against the Cowboys in Round 23 in an inspired performance that could see him win some votes come the end of the season in the centres race. However, one man could have his nose in front of the pack in Jesse Ramien. The Sharks centre was on the verge of an Origin call-up this year and has been a wrecking ball on the right side of the field for Cronulla. He recorded the 9th most running metres, the most of any out and out centre, with Jacob Kiraz featuring at both centre and on the wing. Ramien also had the 7th most offloads, and 11 try assists, once again the most of any player in his position. It was a season to remember for Ramien who also crossed the white line six times in his 24 games.

Verdict: Stephen Crichton and Jesse Ramien

FIVE-EIGHTH: Matt Burton (16), Jarome Luai (8), Tom Dearden (6)

Analysis: This one’s a tight one to call. All three players that were named by the NRL here had stellar seasons and were pivotal in their respective team’s run to the finals. Jarome Luai evolved his game in ways that Panthers fans were very pleased to see in 2024, playing several games in the No.7 jersey and steering the ship in impressive fashion. He’s got the most try assists of this trio with 20, but did start the season slowly with Nathan Cleary being the main man in Penrith. Tom Dearden, meanwhile, has nine tries in his 24 games, the same amount as Matt Burton. Dearden was strong again in 2024, and played all three Origin games for Queensland in the absence of Cameron Munster. However, Burton is the man we’re picking to win the five-eighth slot and the former Panther had a massive campaign for the Bulldogs. He was a central figure in Canterbury-Bankstown’s charge to the finals, and his dominance was on full display against the Roosters in Round 5, scoring a hat-trick, whilst he also crossed for a double against the Dragons in Round 12. Burton closed out his 2024 regular season with a has of strong performances, namely against the Dolphins and Warriors in big wins before a late Canterbury slump.

Verdict: Matt Burton

HALFBACK: Jahrome Hughes (16), Daly Cherry-Evans (27), Ben Hunt (17)