The National Rugby League (NRL) and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) have today congratulated the winners of the 2024 Wellbeing and Education Academic Excellence Awards.
The annual awards celebrate academic achievement, leadership and excellence across the NRL and NRLW competitions with recipients honoured at a ceremony on the opening night of the National Wellbeing and Education Conference in Sydney last night.
This year 98 nominations were received from the 17 NRL and 10 NRLW clubs, with the winners declared by a judging panel consisting of an NRL and RLPA representative along with a subject matter expert in each award category.
Melbourne Storm's NRL prop Christian Welch and Sydney Roosters' NRLW winger Brydie Parker were crowned the code's top academic achievers for the year. Welch completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University to go along with a Master of Business Administration at UNSW, with Parker finalising a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and Bachelor of Exercise Science at ACU.
The Pasifika Leadership and Excellence Award was taken out by Storm NRL prop Tui Kamikamica and Parramatta Eels NRLW lock Kennedy Cherrington, while the Indigenous Leadership and Excellence Award was claimed by Sharks playmakers Nicho Hynes and Quincy Dodd.
Other awards on the night went to Roosters stars Angus Crichton and Millie Elliott who were recognised for their entrepreneurial efforts, while Wests Tigers NRL prop Alex Twal and Eels NRLW winger Taneka Todhunter topped the vocational category.
Each award recipient took home a $5,000 education grant from the RLPA Individual Player Education Grants Program to be used for professional development purposes to enhance their career and business aspirations.
Wellbeing and Education Board Chair, Lynne Anderson congratulated all award recipients.
"It's inspiring to see our NRL and NRLW players excelling not just on the field but in their academic and personal pursuits. These awards reflect our commitment to supporting player development and preparing our athletes for life beyond rugby league. Congratulations to all nominees and winners - they set a positive example and are leaders for the next generation of rugby league players," said Mrs Anderson.
"On behalf of the RLPA I would like to congratulate all players who were award winners or finalists in the 2024 Academic Excellence Awards," said Jamie Buhrer, the RLPA's General Manager of Player and Football Operations.
"It is a huge honour for players to be selected and recognised for their commitment and dedication to managing their off-field personal development while also fulfilling their duties as athletes in the NRL and NRLW.
"We are continually proud of our members achievements for their achievements, and the group of players recognised in 2024 are no different. All these players are incredible role models for current and future players to inspire them to pursue academic and off-field pursuits in a wide variety of industries and skill sets."
An Academic Team of the Year was also announced, recognising 13 players from across the NRL and NRLW competitions for their academic achievements throughout the year.
2024 Award Winners
2024 Academic Award
NRL - Christian Welch (Melbourne Storm)
NRLW - Brydie Parker (Sydney Roosters)
Pasifika Leadership & Excellence Award
NRL - Tui Kamikamika (Melbourne Storm)
NRLW - Kennedy Cherrington (Parramatta Eels)
Indigenous Leadership & Excellence Award
NRL - Nicho Hynes (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
NRLW - Quincy Dodd (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Entrepreneur Player of the Year
NRL - Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters)
NRLW - Millie Elliott (Sydney Roosters)
Vocational Player of the Year
NRL - Alex Twal (Wests Tigers)
NRLW - Taneka Todhunter (Parramatta Eels)
Academic Team of the Year
Christian Welch (Melbourne Storm)
Brydie Parker (Sydney Roosters)
Euan Aitken (Dolphins)
Luke Garner (Penrith Panthers)
Jacob Preston (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Lachlan Croker (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
Fonua Pole (Wests Tigers)
Scott Drinkwater (North Queensland Cowboys)
Tyla King (St. George Illawarra Dragons)
Pihuka Berryman Duff (Parramatta Eels)
Romy Teitzel (Brisbane Broncos)
Tiana Penitani (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Lindsay Collins (Sydney Roosters).
