Players name Uate best

Newcastle Knights winger Akuila Uate has capped a stellar season by being named the 2011 Rugby League Players' Association Players' Player of the Year.

After topping the try-scoring lists in 2010 Uate upped the ante this year with another spectacular season for the Knights as well as making an impressive debut for New South Wales in this year's State of Origin Series.

The award is seen as the ultimate recognition from the winner's rugby league peers. Players vote for their opponents on a 3-2-1 basis after each match during the NRL season and the votes are tallied after Round 26.

Uate, who finished third on the try-scoring list this season with 20 tries, fought off strong challenges by the likes of Paul Gallen, Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen, Glenn Stewart, Benji Marshall and Billy Slater to win the award.

Gallen picked up the award for the Representative Player of the Year, West Tigers playmaker Benji Marshall repeated his performance of 2010 in taking out the New Zealand Representative Player of the Year Award while Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans added the RLPA Players' Rookie of the Year Award to the Dally M award that he collected last week.

Bulldogs skipper Andrew Ryan, who hung up his boots at the end of the season, was awarded the prestigious RLPA Dennis Tutty Award for his career of selfless work on behalf of players on and off the field.

Young North Queensland second-rower Jason Taumalolo was named RLPA NYC Player of the Year, while Corey Payne of the Bulldogs earned the NRL Education and Welfare Player of the Year Award.