North Queensland Toyota Cowboys hooker Josh Chudleigh is the toast of the Intrust Super Cup tonight after receiving the competition’s most prestigious individual award – the 2016 Courier Mail Medal.
Chudleigh, 22, earned the award after another stellar season with Cowboys feeder team the Mackay Cutters.
The accolade capped off a memorable month for the rising star, who only last week re-signed with the Cowboys for a further two seasons.
On the back of his stunning form for the Cutters, Chudleigh stamped himself as a player of great potential when he scored a brilliant individual try while on debut for the Cowboys in Round 18 of the NRL.
Chudleigh, who was also named as the competition’s best hooker in the Intrust Super Cup’s Team of the Year tonight, played 21 games for the Cutters this season.
While the Cutters struggled to string regular wins together throughout the course of the season, Chudleigh’s performances never wavered.
His form with the Cutters went to a new level upon his return from the NRL, with the former Australian Schoolboy receiving Courier Mail points in five consecutive Intrust Super Cup rounds (Rd 19 to 23) to land the top gong.
He tallied 27 points to finish at the top of the standings from 2015 winner Luke Page (25), Sam Anderson (24), Darren Nicholls (23) and Herman Ese’ese (22).
Chudleigh was the 2015 Cutters player of the year and in 2014 was named the Cowboys’ best under-20s player after a stellar year in the National Youth Competition.
Chudleigh’s fellow Cowboy and Townsville Blackhawks custodian Jahrome Hughes was named Fullback of the Year.
For the full list of winners from the 2016 QRL Awards, visit qrl.com.au.
