Rabbitohs livewire five-eighth Cody Walker has been awarded the George Piggins Medal for 2020, capping off a break-out season which sees him crowned the Best and Fairest player for the first time in his career.
In his 21 appearances for South Sydney this season, Walker scored 10 tries, had 21 try assists and took his running game to another level registering 17 linebreaks and a staggering 66 tackle breaks for the year.
Walker averaged 101 metres with the ball and really came alive particularly in Indigenous round against the Dragons and then in the last regular season match against the Roosters. On those occasions, both times he ran for over 150 metres.
Walker put the team on his back out at Kogarah against the Dragons after Adam Reynolds was forced to the sideline with injury. We all knew how much of an attacking threat Cody is but, he certainly has matured into a genuine game manager in 2020; often coming up with the right play when called upon.
Walker registered arguable the best individual performance of the season against our rivals the Roosters in round 20. In that game he scored two tries, had three try assists, made one linebreak and assisted another.
It was through his consistency all year and that purple patch of form in the back-end of the year that saw him re-called into the NSW Blues extended squad at season’s end.
The Best and Fairest award is named after Rabbitohs Club legend George Piggins, who was a premiership-winning and international player, coach and official over a 40-year period. He was also one of the leading figures in the Club's fight for reinstatement to the National Rugby League in the early 2000s.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs would like to congratulate Cody on his stellar season and his awards.
Previous Winners:
2002 - Paul Stringer
2003 – Bryan Fletcher
2004 – Ashley Harrison
2005 – Peter Cusack
2006 – David Fa'alogo
2007 – Roy Asotasi
2008 – Luke Stuart
2009 – John Sutton
2010 – Issac Luke
2011 – Nathan Merritt
2012 – John Sutton
2013 – Greg Inglis and John Sutton
2014 – Sam Burgess
2015 – Greg Inglis
2016 – Sam Burgess
2017 – Sam Burgess
2018 - Damien Cook
2019 - Damien Cook
