St George Illawarra will announce their best player for the 2014 NRL season at the club's end-of-year function at WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday.

Contenders for the Dragons' top individual medal include those who have played every game for the Red V this season, those that have been consistent contributors to the team, and others who have enjoyed patches of brilliance mixed with quiet periods.

Will it be a big-name recruit or one of the club juniors?

Here are the top five chances rated by Mercury sports writer SIMON BRUNSDON.

GARETH WIDDOP

Games: 24, tries: 3, points: 137, assists 16.

Verdict: Widdop should be considered odds-on favourite with punters to take home the medal on Sunday. He's undoubtedly been the best and most consistent player since joining the Dragons this year. The only factor against a Widdop victory will be halves partner Benji Marshall, who has taken a chunk of the workload from his halfback since arriving in Wollongong. Josh Dugan's move to right centre has also resulted in more ball on Marshall's side of the field.

BRETT MORRIS

Games: 18, tries: 14, points: 56, line breaks 14.

Verdict: NSW fans will best remember Morris's season for his heroics which helped the Blues win the State of Origin opener. He famously played through a dislocated shoulder to pull off a try-saving tackle on opposing winger Darius Boyd late in the game. But his work for St George Illawarra has been just as impressive. He missed six games as a result of the shoulder injury but returned 14 tries from his 18 appearances. His form earned him selection in Tim Sheens's Kangaroos squad for the Four Nations, which he has subsequently withdrawn from following shoulder surgery.

TRENT MERRIN

Games: 21, tackles: 701, hit-ups: 328, offloads 38.

Verdict: The perennial workhorse has enjoyed another big season with his beloved Red V. His running metres top the list of the Dragons players for 2014, even trumping captain Ben Creagh with one less game played. Hooker Mitch Rein is the only player to lay more tackles than Merrin, and again Rein has achieved that with an extra game to his name. Merrin, like Morris, has missed games through shoulder problems but should be right up there in the vote count.

JOSH DUGAN

Games: 18, tries: 10, metres: 2181.

Verdict: The former NRL bad boy has made headlines for all the right reasons this season. After starting the year in the No 1 jersey, a risky move to right centre paid dividends when Dugan was called up to play Origin under Laurie Daley. Questions remain over the defensive side of his game but there's no doubting his ability with ball in hand. Can be accused of being hot and cold but has otherwise enjoyed a solid year in the Red V.

LEESON AH MAU

Games: 23, tackles: 625, metres: 2039.

Verdict: A smoky for the club medal, Ah Mau has arguably produced his best NRL season this year. Missing just one game for the Dragons, he has returned the second-highest tackle count and ran more than two kilometres with the ball. With other medal chances like Josh Morris, Josh Dugan and Trent Merrin missing games throughout the year, a guy like Ah Mau could prove a bolter for the Dragons' player-of-the-year gong.