He suffered through a difficult 2019 season, spending most of it in the rehab room after suffering a serious knee injury on Grand Final day the year prior.
Playing for Redcliffe, Toby Rudolf had signed with the Sharks, before rupturing his ACL in the state championship match at ANZ Stadium, forcing him to miss the majority of his first season in the Shire as he worked on his return to full fitness.
Late in 2019 however Sharks fans were given a glimpse of the promise Rudolf possessed, with the front rower excelling for the Newtown Jets in their charge towards duel titles in the Canterbury Cup then National Championship game.
Fast forward to 2020 and after a strong pre-season Rudolf was pitched into the Sharks 17 for their round one match with Souths and from that point on he never looked back, playing 19 games straight before being rested from the final round match against the Raiders, more as a reward for his efforts throughout his debut year in the NRL than for any other reason.
He was back for the week one of the finals, where Rudolf again more than held his own against the highly rated Raiders pack.
And in good news for Cronulla fans he inked a new deal which will see him return next season after it seemed Rudolf might be headed to the Warriors in 2021.
So it would have come as little surprise when Rudolf was announced as the Steve Rogers Sharks Rookie of the Year for his efforts throughout 2020 at the Porter-Gallen Medal Ceremony held at PointsBet Stadium on Friday night.
Check out some of the highlights from Toby Rudolf’s outstanding rookie season.
