Dally M Awards the year. Between 1979 and 1996, when both the Dally M Medal and Rothmans Medal were awarded, the same player won both awards on only three occasions - Peter Sterling in 1987, Gavin Miller in 1989 and Ricky Stuart in 1993. In 1997, when the game was split between the News Limited-organised Super League competition and the ARL, News Limited did not hold the awards. The only other time the awards night has not been held was in 2003, following a dispute with the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA). After the players had threatened to boycott the event unless the
AFL Players Association awards to help them balance external study and training with football training. AFL Players Association awards The AFL Players Association awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players. The AFLPA nominates the following four awards as their main awards. The Leigh Matthews Trophy has been awarded by the players to the best player of the season annually since 1982. It is the AFLPA equivalent of the Brownlow Medal (voted for by umpires), and a variety of media-sponsored MVP awards. Gary Ablett, Jr. (2007–09, 2012–13) is the only player