23 September, 2016. 12:00

WENDELL HUSSEY | Celebrity Sports | CONTACT

To cap of an incredible year on and off the field for Australian rugby league, the NRL will award the inaugural “Best Leaked Footage” award at this year’s Dally M awards on Wednesday night.

With hundreds of quality entrants across the board, Corey Norman and Mitchell Pearce loom as the early favourites.

NRL CEO, Todd Greenberg, spoke at a press conference today about how pleased he is to announce the award, he says it has a long future ahead of it.

“It’s fantastic that we as the rugby league community can recognise the efforts of these guys and their clubs off the field.”

Mitchell Pearce’s handling of the “Australia Day Dog Drama” has him earmarked as the man to beat for this prestigious award.

One of the judges, The Great Eighth Andrew Johns, says Pearce has has raised the bar when it comes to handling the media after they get their hands on an unsavoury video.

“Leaving the country while sobbing about alcohol issues is absolutely brilliant form by the young fulla,” he said.

“I see a lot of myself in that bloke. Mind you, we were getting away with much worse in Newy before smart phones.”

Another guest judge, former Raiders star Joel Monaghan, reckons Jarryd Hayne’s Snapchat story with Gold Coast bikie should be right up there.

“I mean Jarryd coming out and saying he didn’t know that Bikie that he was throwing cash around with, that’s priceless.”

“And the media bought it. Terrific stuff!”

The other judges of the award will be John Hopoate, Mark Gasiner and Craig Gower.

The winner will receive all-expenses paid week long trip to Bali with 3 mates of their choosing.