Sharks captain Paul Gallen will skip rugby league's night of nights in order to concentrate on Cronulla's tilt at a historic premiership.
Gallen told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday he will not attend the Dally M Awards on Wednesday night, where the Sharks are expected to feature prominently, in order to rest his injured back before the grand final against minor premiers Melbourne on Sunday.
The Sharks' spiritual leader was expected to head a small contingent from the grand finalists walking the red carpet at The Star and he could feature in calculations for Dally M Lock of the Year.
But such is his single mindedness on snapping the Sharks' premiership drought he said he didn't "want to sit in a chair for four or five hours" given the balancing act with his delicate back injury.
Grand final players staying away from annual awards nights is nothing new, but it is usually employed by interstate teams who have to travel to play in the biggest match of the season later in the week.
The Sydney Swans held a private Brownlow Medal function at the SCG on Monday night while the main count took place at Crown Casino in Melbourne.
The Storm's Cooper Cronk and two players from beaten preliminary finalists - Canberra's Josh Hodgson and North Queensland's Jason Taumalolo - are expected to fight out rugby league's highest individual honour.
Gallen, 34, missed the Sharks' stunning win over the Raiders in week one of the finals, but rehabilitated the injury around the clock in the lead-up to the preliminary final victory over the Cowboys.
The Sharks will train on Tuesday morning before hosting a fan day later in the afternoon.
