Wiradjuri man Nicho Hynes has taken out the men's 2022 Dally M medal as the NRL's best player following a breakout season laden with individual honours.

With 38 points the 26-year-old was the highest polling individual season in the award's history.

It caps off a dramatic rise to the game's elite after three years at Melbourne afforded just 35 games to start his career.

In his first season with the Sharks the 26-year-old averaged 117 running metres, crossed for six tries and kicked at 74 percent at goal over 25 games.

2022 NRL Dally M medallist Nicho Hynes. image: NichoHynes Twitter

It rounds out a string of honours in 2022 after clinching the Porter Gallen Medal as his club's player of the year.

Hynes sat third behind Dragons' playmaker Ben Hunt and Panthers' lock Isaah Yeo before voting went behind closed doors following round 12.

By round 15, Hynes had cut the margin to one point, still trailing Hunt.

After polling two votes in the following rounds Hynes led the pack.

Hynes' accolades came early, awarded halfback of the year and the Provan-Summons Medal for outstanding acts of sportsmanship and courage for his mental health advocacy after the death of former North Queensland coach Paul Green.

"People commit suicide too much these days," he said.

"If I can play an important role in trying to change that and get people to speak up about what they're going through in their life I want to try to do my job and try to raise more awareness on that."

Nicho Hynes holds the 2022 Dally M Medal. image: NRL Facebook

As the count moved into the later stages of the year Hynes had a string of three-vote games in rounds 18, 20, 21 and 23 to take an insurmountable lead and claim the award.

Hynes said he was grateful for the honour.

"I just came here tonight just extremely grateful to be here surrounded by great players," he said.

"I didn't even think I'd ever be here honestly.

"I didn't walk the easiest journey to get here and had some tough challenges growing up and now I'm in a privileged position to give back and hopefully influence some people who have been in my position to walk a tough journey."

Hynes wrapped up the evening thanking his mother and former clubs for affording him the opportunity to play the game at the highest level.

He joins Preston Campbell, Johnathon Thurston, Ben Barba and Jack Wighton as Indigenous players to claim the honour since 2000.