DYLAN Edwards has had a Sunday night he will remember for the rest of his life.

The former Bellingen Valley/Dorrigo Magpies junior was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the best player of the NRL grand final.

The 26-year-old was the standout player in the Penrith Panthers 28-12 grand final victory against the Parramatta Eels.

The Panthers fullback produced a superb performance with 281 running metres, eight tackle breaks, two try assists, and a try saving tackle that was one of the best seen in grand final history.

His great grand final capped off a stellar season for the Panthers in which he finished fifth in the Dally M Medal count for the competitions best and fairest player.

He finished the 2022 NRL season ranked first in running metres, kick return metres, total runs, and support play, and third in tackle breaks.

The Clive Churchill medallist was also awarded the Merv Cartwright Medal as the Panthers best and fairest player for the 2022 season.

Edwards has been an integral part of the Panthers back-to-back premierships wins in 2021 and 2022.

Edwards was born in Albury but moved to Dorrigo with his family at the age of eight.

Having played his junior football for the Bellingen Valley/Dorrigo Magpies, he moved to Western Sydney in 2013 to play for the Panthers’ SG Ball team.

Edwards progressed through the junior grades at the Panthers and was a member of the Panthers’ premiership-winning National Youth Competition (NYC) side in 2015.

By Aiden BURGESS