It was a case of dressed and fairest when among the nation’s finest footy gamers turned on the glitz and glamour on the Rugby Australia Awards in Sydney on Wednesday evening.
Again-rower Rob Valetini took out the largest gong on the evening when he received the John Eales Medal because the Wallabies‘ participant of the 12 months for the second straight season – with Maddison Levi received the Girls’s Sevens Participant honour and starred on the pink carpet in an attention grabbing gown with a really daring minimize.
She was joined within the trend stakes by her Sevens teammate Charlotte Caslick in a figure-hugging robe, and Wallaroos star Desiree Miller in a hanging pink backless gown.
Sevens try-scoring machine Religion Nathan additionally minimize a hanging determine as she arrived together with her rugby star boyfriend Matt Gonzalez, and her teammate Teagan Levi dazzled in a black ensemble.
After the ceremony, Valetini mentioned he feels blessed after becoming a member of Australian rugby royalty as a twin John Eales Medallist.
The dynamic back-rower joined modern-day greats Israel Folau (2014-15) and Michael Hooper (2020-21) as solely the third man to go back-to-back.
The 26-year-old can be the sixth participant to win the distinguished gong on a number of events, with George Smith (2002, 2008), Nathan Sharpe (2007, 2012), David Pocock (2010, 2018), Folau (2014, 2015, 2017), Hooper (2013, 2016, 2020, 2021) and Marika Koroibete (2019, 2022) the others to attain the feat.
‘Blessed and grateful to have received the award,’ Valetini instructed reporters.
Maddison Levi took out the award as Aussie rugby’s finest girls’s sevens participant on Wednesday evening – and was additionally a winner on the pink carpet
Wallaroos star Desiree Miller was additionally on the dressed and fairest record when she made her entrance on the glittering ceremony at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse
Sevens star Charlotte Caslick arrived in an attention grabbing, figure-hugging robe
‘I would not have the ability to do that with out my teammates doing their jobs and the teaching workers for backing me to play my recreation.
‘I am not the kind of man to chase medals. I simply love rugby and I believe I put it all the way down to my coaching and being constant by there and individuals who have helped me and make numerous a sacrifices to make me who I’m.’
Voted by teammates on a 3-2-1 foundation, Valetini edged out Queensland Reds flanker Fraser McReight after having fun with one other stand-out 12 months for the Wallabies in 2024.
He featured in all 9 Exams and is certain to additionally play a pivotal function on subsequent month’s spring tour of the UK and Eire when the Wallabies have a shot at finishing the fabled grand slam with Exams in opposition to England, Wales, Scotland and the top-ranked Irish.
The ACT Brumbies enforcer wasn’t the one back-to-back award winner, with McReight defending his Tremendous Rugby Pacific participant of the 12 months title, and Maddison Levi once more named girls’s sevens participant of the 12 months.
Footy star couple Religion Nathan and Mark Gonzalez additionally dazzled as they rocked up at Aussie rugby union’s evening of nights
Pictured: Girls’s and males’s gamers of the 12 months Maya Stewart and Rob Valetini
Left to proper: Stars Tia Hinds, Teagan Levi and Maddison Levi
Prolific NSW Waratahs winger Maya Stewart was topped the Wallaroos’ participant of the 12 months after bagging 9 tries in eight Exams and galvanizing the crew’s historic triumph on the WXV 2 match in South Africa.
Nathan Lawson picked up the boys’s sevens participant of the 12 months award, whereas Brumbies captain Siokapesi Palu was named Tremendous Rugby girls’s participant of the 12 months.
Thrilling 21-year-old Reds winger Tim Ryan capped off his stellar breakthrough season by taking house the rookie of the 12 months award, together with attempt of the 12 months for an electrifying solo effort in opposition to the Blues at Suncorp Stadium.
Australia under-20s captain Toby Macpherson was named junior males’s participant of the 12 months, and 18-year-old Caitlyn Halse picked up the junior girls’s gong after securing the beginning fullback function for the Wallaroos.
The referee of the 12 months award went to Nic Berry, who, alongside together with his important Take a look at commitments, was appointed to officiate the 2024 Tremendous Rugby Pacific remaining.
The awards evening additionally noticed Toutai Kefu and Matthew Burke inducted into the Wallabies Corridor of Fame, and Selena Tranter (nee Worsley), Cheryl McAfee (nee Quickly) and Emilee Barton (nee Cherry) inducted into the Australian Girls’s Rugby Corridor of Fame.