News Limited journalists vote on the best performing players in each match on a 3, 2, 1 point(s) system. The scores of the voting are visible to the public and media up until Round 16 of the NRL season. In 1998, following the merger of the Super League and the Australian Rugby League (ARL), the awards became the official awards of the newly formed National Rugby League. Prior to 1998, the official award of the game was voted on by the referees and were known as the Rothmans Medal from 1968 to 1996 and the Nokia Provan-Summons Medal in 1997. Today the Provan-Summons Medal is for the fans' "people's choice" player of the year.
