It was always going to be difficult, to near impossible, for Will Kennedy to be crowned the Dally M Fullback of the Year, however for him to be included alongside arguably four of the best players in the NRL at the present time, is an endorsement of the quality season the Sharks number one turned in during 2021.
Kennedy was nominated alongside Sea Eagles superstar Tom Trbojevic, NSW and Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco, Ryan Papenhuyzen from the Storm as well as Knights fullback Kayln Ponga, which speaks volumes for his improvement and standing amongst his NRL rivals.
Trbojevic would go on to claim the Dally M Player of the Year award with an amazing 35 points and was also named Fullback of the Year, edging out Tedesco who also finished inside the top five vote getters at the end of the 25 rounds, with Kennedy polling strongly for a Sharks side which won just 10 games throughout the season.
After battling with Connor Tracey and Luke Metcalf heading into the 2021 season, Kennedy won the Sharks fullback position for round one, then made it his own with sizzling attacking efforts, a solid defensive contribution and a resilience that saw him play all 24 of his team’s matches.
He also scooped the pool of Sharks end of season awards, being named the Porter Gallen Medallist as the Player of the Year, the Player’s Player and the Members Player of the Year, in recognition of his performances during the year.
Kennedy was the only Sharks player to earn a nomination for the Dally M Team of the Year positional awards, however Ronaldo Mulitalo has been revealed as one of four finalists for the prestigious Ken Stephen Medal for his work in the community.
