James Tedesco won the 2025 Dally M Medal after climbing from third at the halfway point, finishing 22 votes ahead of Nathan Cleary, Payne Haas and Isaiya Katoa.
Luke Metcalf had led after Round 12 with 31 votes, but an ACL injury in Round 17 limited him to four more matches. He finished eighth on 40 votes.
That history matters for Cleary, who topped the 2026 count when voting went behind closed doors after Round 12. His 38 votes put him three ahead of Warriors forward Jackson Ford and six ahead of Panthers teammate Dylan Edwards.
Ford's Dally M hopes ended with a pectoral injury in Round 16. Cleary is seeking to become just the second Panther to win the medal, after club legend Greg Alexander in 1985, a year after Alexander earned Rookie of the Year.
Cameron Smith was the last player to turn a halfway lead into victory, winning in 2017 with 33 votes. Since then, Edwards led in 2024 but finished eighth, while Cleary led in 2021 before Tom Trbojevic beat him by five votes.
Other midseason stories include Jahrome Hughes rising from 16th in 2024 to win by one vote, and Canberra's Jack Wighton winning in 2020 after reaching halfway on 10 points.
In 2026, Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater is fourth on 29 votes, while Tedesco is fifth on 23. Weekly voting and the leaderboard are now concealed until the Dally M Awards in Grand Final week.