The Penrith Panthers players have been sensationally accused of 'ignoring' teammate Dylan Edwards as he collected the Clive Churchill medal after the NRL Grand Final.
Edwards was instrumental in guiding the Panthers to back-to-back Premierships.
He ran for 291 run metres, had nine tackle breaks and even bagged a try assist as Penrith pummelled Parramatta 28-12.
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Edwards' individual performance on the night earned him the prestigious Clive Churchill medal for the best-on-ground.
But it seems the presentation itself was marred by accusations that Edwards' teammates somehow ignored the star fullback.
"Not one player congratulated, applauded or even gave Edwards a pat on the back — and the stunned fullback could only give his teammates a wry smile and shake his head at them as he walked up to the stage," an article published by Fox Sports read.
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"Only the reserve grade Penrith players looked happy for him and enthusiastically clapped him on.
"It was in stark contrast to when Nathan Cleary was mobbed by his teammates when he was named the Clive Churchill medallist in Penrith’s premiership win last year."
Footage of the incident was published to TikTok and instantly went viral, racking up over half-a-million likes in a few short days.
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“He looked so sad. His teammates didn’t even congratulate him,” the caption read.
Fans flocked to the comments section to have their say too.
One person said: "If it was Cleary they would all be jumping on him."
While another added: "Bruh lost respect for the rest of the Panthers players they didn’t look at him."
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As a third commented: "I’m a Panthers supporter and am absolutely disgraced in my team for there cocky-ness they need to be humbled Dylan held them together this year."
One bloke pointed out: "Charlie [Staines] just looked at him."
Speaking in his post-match press conference with halfback Nathan Cleary, Edwards remained as humble as ever.
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“It’s a bit surreal at the moment,” Edwards told reporters.
“Honestly it’s a credit to the rest of the team. They make my job incredibly easy.”
In a cheeky dig to his humble teammate, Cleary then pretended to roll his eyes and snore.
“Nah, it’s true! They do. I’m lucky to be a part of this team,” Edwards added.
“These are my brothers and I love going to work with them each week.”
Topics: Australia, NRL, Rugby League
Max Sherry