Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton has scooped the prized Dally M Medal as the NRL's best player, but the result was ruined by an Australian media leak.
The 27-year-old picked up the gong at a virtual awards night at the Fox Sports studios on Monday - just the third Raider to win the medal.
Wighton follows in the footsteps of club legends Ricky Stuart (1993) and Laurie Daley (1995), scoring an upset win over favourites Clint Gutherson and Nathan Cleary.
But NRL Commission chairman Peter V'landys' has vowed to launch an investigation, after an online gaffe by The Daily Telegraph.
The Sydney-based publication spoiled the shock result by publishing the winners three hours before the ceremony.
The article was quickly removed, but not before it had circulated through social media, prompting an irate V'landys suggestion that Monday night's ceremony would be the last time the media receive the results in advance.
"I know mistakes do happen, but we'll certainly do an investigation to see how this happened," V'landys says. "We'll do an investigation and make sure this never, ever, ever happens again."
V'landys insists the players at the event were unaware of the results, as they had had their phones confiscated once the results were published. Wighton has confirmed he was unaware the result had been leaked.
"They took our phones away, we didn't know why,'' Wighton says. "We were all in the same boat and found out at the same time, when we were meant to find out.
"It worked out all right in the end, I thought I was gone that last round.
"I was happy to get where I was before that - to be named winner made me speechless. I'm absolutely shocked and blown away.
"I thought he [Cleary] would win it."
Penrith Panthers' Ivan Cleary was named Coach of the Year, Melbourne Storm-bound rake Harry Grant picked up Rookie of the Year and NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck won the Captain of the Year award.
Join us on Sunday for live updates of the Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers NRL Grand Final
