Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill following his death in 1985. Churchill is considered one of the greatest and most decorated players in Australian rugby league history. One of the highest individual player honours in the NRL, the medal's recipient is chosen by the selectors of the Australian national team. It is announced at the post-grand final ceremony, and awarded by a previous winner. The current recipient of the award is Reece Walsh of the Brisbane Broncos.
The Clive Churchill Medal has been awarded since the 1986 NSWRL season when its first recipient was Peter Sterling. It was initially presented in a case until 2000 where it is presented separately with a ribbon being worn around the neck. The only three players to have won the award more than once are Bradley Clyde, Billy Slater and Nathan Cleary . Despite the Melbourne Storm being stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premiership titles due to salary cap breaches in 2010, the medal winners of those years remain officially recognised.
The medal has only been awarded to a member of the losing grand final team on four occasions. Clyde in 1991, Brad Mackay in 1993, Daly Cherry-Evans in 2013, and Jack Wighton in 2019.
List of recipients
Retrospective awards
As part of the Centenary of League celebrations in 2008, the Clive Churchill Medal has been retrospectively awarded for man-of-the-match performances from season 1954, the first to feature mandatory grand finals. The first recipient from the 1954 season is the man for which the award was originally named, Clive Churchill.Despite claims to the contrary at the time of the announcement of the retrospective medals that there had not been Man Of The Match awards for Grand Finals prior to 1986, this was not the case - there had been the Dave Brown Medal awarded at some stage, and, according to the NSWRL's official match day program, a new prize was awarded in 1971, with the winner named by reporters covering the game. In 1972 the award went to Manly half back Dennis Ward, and the following year, to Manly's Bob Fulton. In 1974, Arthur Beetson won the press writers award, and in 1975 it was Ian Schubert. The retrospective Clive Churchill Medals - either by coincidence or design - reflect those award winners.
In the replayed grand finals of 1977 and 1978, the award was based on efforts over the course of both games, although Manly-Warringah's Graham Eadie was a clear choice in 1978 after a dominating performance from fullback in the Grand Final replay.
| ^ | Player was member of losing team |
Multiple winners
The following players have won the Clive Churchill Medal multiple times.| Medals | Player | Team | Seasons |
| 3 | Norm Provan | St George | 1957*, 1958*, 1963* |
| 2 | Graham Eadie | Manly-Warringah | 1976*, 1978* |
| 2 | Brett Kenny | Parramatta | 1982*, 1983* |
| 2 | Bradley Clyde | Canberra | 1989, 1991 |
| 2 | Billy Slater | Melbourne | 2009, 2017 |
| 2 | Nathan Cleary | Penrith | 2021, 2023 |
''* Retrospective medals.''