Best and Fairest award comes to NPC competitions

Two new accolades are being awarded in this year's Men's and Women's NPC competitions, the Duane Monkley Medal and the Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal.

The Duane Monkley Medal for player of the year in the Men's NPC and the Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal for the player of the year in the Farah Palmer Cup, the first time the women's competition has had a top player award attached to it.

The awards will be determined under a new points system, with the inaugural winners to be revealed at the Rugby Awards in December. The medals have been named after two long-serving players, both of whom epitomise the strengths and values of provincial rugby, by all unions," Lancaster said.

Monkley was a Waikato stalwart for a decade, playing 135 matches between 1987 and 1996. He continues to have an active involvement in the game as President of the Waikato Rugby Union. He’s considered a local legend for his efforts for the Union.

Fa’amausili is currently captaining the Black Ferns for her fifth Women’s Rugby World Cup, and is set to become the first Black Fern to reach 50 Test caps, and potentially the first woman to bring up 100 provincial matches when she returns to play for the Auckland Storm in September.

Akin to the Brownlow Medal in Australia's AFL, The Player of the Year awards will be determined by a season-points system, with match officials picking their players of the match awarding three points, two points and one point for the game’s top three performers. A season scoreboard will keep track of the tally, with the players sitting at the top of each chart to be announced as the winners at the Rugby Awards on 14 December.

Previously the men's provincial player of the year has been determined at the end of the season by a judging panel. The Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal for the player of the year in the Farah Palmer Cup represents the first time the women's competition has had a top player award attached to it.

The medals have been designed by renowned Maori artist Dave Burke, who has previously worked with New Zealand Rugby to design the Maori All Blacks jersey.

The concept was to create a medal that was befitting of New Zealand heritage that honoured hard work, dedication, commitment to the game and team mates and having mana on and off the field.

Let the games begin!