Tedesco wins Churchill Medal after leading Roosters to grand final win - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

James Tedesco led the Roosters by example in a player-of-the-match performance. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

James Tedesco was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the player of the match in the grand final.

Tedesco was immense in both attack and defence during the 19-18 win over Newcastle.

It was Tedesco's third premiership but his first Clive Churchill Medal.

James Tedesco has won the Clive Churchill Medal as player of the match in the 2026 NRL grand final as his Sydney Roosters defeated the Newcastle Knights 19-18.

The Roosters skipper completed his set of the game's greatest individual awards as the Roosters won their first men's premiership since 2019.

The honour will sit alongside Tedesco's Wally Lewis Medal, earnt in the 2019 State of Origin series, and his Dally M gongs from 2019 and 2025.

Tedesco was instrumental for the Roosters on Sunday evening, pulling off two clutch kick receptions when the match was on the line in the final few minutes.

He churned through 385 run metres, the most by a player in any NRL finals match.

A constantly elusive presence, the fullback racked up 14 tackle breaks and was close to faultless under the high ball.

Tedesco was a back-to-back premiership winner with the Roosters in 2018 and 2019, but this title marks his first time captaining a side to a grand final win.

"So proud of this team, what a game," Tedesco said immediately after the match.

"Honestly, it felt like we had them on the ropes, but they just kept coming back.

"There's so many great attacking players and that game could've gone either way."

Retired Parramatta great Peter Sterling presented Tedesco with the medal, 40 years after becoming the first winner of the iconic award.

"To our boys, to our supporters that came out supported us all year, thank you," Tedesco said on stage.