Canberra Raiders stars Simi Sasagi and Leianne Tufuga have capped off outstanding individual seasons in green, winning the 2026 Meninga Medals in the NRL and NRLW for the Canberra Raiders.
Both Sasagi and Tufuga win their first Meninga Medals, ending the remarkable streaks of Joe Tapine who has won the past four NRL Meninga Medals (2022-2025) and Simaima Taufa, who has taken home the past three NRLW Player of the Year awards (2023-2025).
The Meninga Medal is awarded to the player in the team who polls the most votes over the course of the season. Each week, players and football staff cast their 3-2-1 votes, with the weekly top three decided by the most cumulative votes.
Simi Sasagi polled 26 votes over the course of the season with a staggering seven Man of the Match performances, a feat even more remarkable considering he played in only 16 of a possible 24 matches.
Four-time winner and Captain Joe Tapine finished second with 24 votes, while rookie halfback Ethan Sanders finished third with 14 votes.
In the NRLW, Leianne Tufuga took home a hotly contested Meninga Medal, after collecting three votes in the final match of the season against the Tigers to finish on 11 votes.
Sophie Holyman polled one vote in the final round to finish second on 9 votes, with Chante Temara coming in third on 8 votes.
Ethan Sanders was named the Peter Mulholland Rookie of the Year for his outstanding season, where he played 23 NRL matches, while Ellie Brander took home the NRLW Rookie of the Year after making her debut earlier in the season.
The NRL Coaches’ Award went to the consistent performer Ata Mariota, while first-time Raider Sheridan Gallagher was presented with the NRLW Coaches Award for her outstanding first season in green.
The Fred Daly Club Person of the Year award went to long-time staff member and current Chief Operating Officer Jason Mathie, who has been a standout contributor to the Raiders group for over 30 years.
Canberra Raiders 2026 Meninga Medal winners
Meninga Medal (NRL) – Simi Sasagi
Meninga Medal (NRLW) – Leianne Tufuga
NRL Coaches’ Award – Ata Mariota
NRLW Coaches’ Award – Sheridan Gallagher
Peter Mulholland Rookie of the Year (NRL) – Ethan Sanders
Peter Mulholland Rookie of the Year (NRLW) – Ellie Brander
Fred Daly Club Person of the Year – Jason Mathie
NSW Cup Player of the Year – Malachi Smith
Jersey Flegg Player of the Year – Braydan Darmody
NSW Cup Coaches’ Award – Mark Tuialii
Jersey Flegg Coaches’ Award – Callum Dowell
Gordon McLucas Junior Representative of the Year (NRL) - Chaev Kolone
Gordon McLucas Junior Representative of the Year (NRLW) – Gabriella Savage
2026 Meninga Medal NRL Top 5
26 – Simi Sasagi
24 – Joe Tapine
14 – Ethan Sanders
13 – Zac Hosking
12 – Kaeo Weekes
2026 Meninga Medal NRL Top 5
11 – Leianne Tufuga
9 – Sophie Holyman
8 – Zahara Temara
6 – Simaima Taufa
6 – Mackenzie Wiki
