The 2026 NRL grand final was the kind of game they’ll talk about for years to come.
As it goes further into history and the old stories come out at reunions and in front bars and on podcasts, they’ll talk about Kalyn Ponga’s try, Newcastle’s heroic defence, Mark Nawaqanitawase’s whole deal and the big finish.
They’ll talk about James Tedesco winning the Clive Churchill Medal and maybe someone will remember his exact number of running metres — an obscene 388.
But what’s certain is that at least one person will argue, passionately and adamantly, that Naufahu Whyte was the best player on the field.
There’s no wrong answer between Tedesco and Whyte, who were the Roosters’ best in the 19-18 victory.
Together, they combined for 55 runs and add Whyte’s metres gained (187) to Tedesco’s total and they carried the ball for more than half a kilometre.
Where Tedesco had 12 tackle busts, two forced dropouts and a try assist, Whyte forced several errors with his brutal defence, affirmed his status as one of the best forwards in the game and created the ruck speed that helped lead to Nawaqanitawase’s crucial second-half try.
Winning the award as a middle isn’t easy either, because even though you never win a comp without a few good ones, they always seem to miss out.Â
Sam Burgess was the last middle forward to win the Churchill medal when he led South Sydney from the front in 2014. Before then, you have to go back to Brent Kite in 2008 to find the last front-rower to do it.Â
For his part, the 24-year-old was happy to defer to his skipper.
Whyte and Tedesco were the premiers’ two best players in the grand final win. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)
“He deserves it; he’s been doing it all year,” Whyte said.
“I have big love for my captain and what he’s done for the game. I’ll say he’s the best fullback in the game ever. That’s my brother.”
While Tedesco took home the medal, Whyte’s own trophy cabinet has become cluttered in a short space of time.
His premiership ring will vie with the Dally M Prop Of The Year award he won last week for pride of place, but if Whyte keeps up this form, there’s sure to be more to come.
Especially if Whyte is telling the truth when he says there’s still major improvement in him despite dominating on the game’s biggest stage on Sunday night.
“I know this isn’t my best. It’s far from it. I’m still just at the start of my career. There’s a lot of work to put in,” Whyte said.
“In the grand final, I had to take it next level. It’s not easy winning a grand final, and the Knights were always going to show up, so I had to push myself.
“Taking carry after carry, that’s what I’ll do for my brothers. It’s paid off for me so far.
“We came in confident we would get the job done, even down six, because that’s the belief we have in each other, that’s the belief we have in this team.”
That belief proved crucial for the Tricolours as they claimed their first premiership since 2018-19, especially in coming back from 12-0 down with a Knights ambush eminently possible.
Whyte, who watches highlights of those games all the time, now has a version of it that he can not just replay but relive.
“Everything is going through my head and my heart now. I just want to embrace this moment and enjoy every part of it, because it’s the best feeling ever,” Whyte said.
“I screamed, had tears of joy; I was all over the place. All the hard work it took to get here — I’m speechless, brother, I really am.”
By
