Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker has been voted by his teammates as the player they felt had the biggest impact on the field, by being awarded the Jack Rayner Players' Player Award for 2020.
There is no higher honour in rugby league than having your teammates want you standing in the line next to them, Cody Walker has been labelled the ultimate competitor and in my many instances, the ultimate game-changer.
Walker had 21 appearances scoring 10 tries - including a brilliant long-range effort against Parramatta in that 38-0 drumming. Walker also bagged a couple of doubles against the Dragons in round 12 and the Roosters in round 20 to help steer the Rabbitohs to victory.
Walker’s brilliant performances saw him selected for the NSW Blues extended squad at season’s end. In the back-end of the year, Walker was arguably the best player in the competition, re-capturing similar form to his scintillating run in the first couple of months of the 2019 season.
One of the game’s most instinctive players known for his ‘eyes up footy,’ Walker suited the speed of the game really well after the new rules were implemented in round three. With the set-restarts ability to fatigue defenders and encourage less-structured attacking raids, Walker flourished.
The award is named after Club legend Jack Rayner, who captain-coached the Club to five premierships in the 1950s, whose leadership and values are still upheld with 'The Rabbitoh Way'.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs would like to congratulate Cody on his award.
Previous Winners:
2002 - Paul Stringer and Scott Geddes
2003 – Luke Stuart
2004 – Ashley Harrison
2005 – Peter Cusack
2006 – Nathan Merritt
2007 – Roy Asotasi
2008 – Luke Stuart and Nathan Merritt
2009 – Luke Stuart
2010 – Sam Burgess
2011 – Chris Sandow
2012 – Greg Inglis
2013 – Sam Burgess
2014 – Sam Burgess
2015 – Greg Inglis
2016 – Sam Burgess
2017 – Angus Crichton
2018 - Sam Burgess
2019 - Cameron Murray
