Sydney Roosters five-eighth Todd Carney has survived one of the most dramatic Dally M Medal finishes to win the award by a single point from Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah.

Carney pipped Farah, after the hooker finished the season strongly as the Tigers finished third to reach the finals for the first time since 2005.

Farah stormed into medal contention through the final rounds, outscoring Carney in the last match, but failing to pick up the three points he needed to force a drawn result.

The award caps off a stunning return to the NRL for Carney, who spent the 2009 season rebuilding his life and his career playing district football in the North Queensland town of Atherton.

Carney was sacked by Canberra in 2008 after a number of off-field indiscretions saw him banned from his home town of Goulburn, NSW, for a year and given a one-year suspension from playing in the NRL.

The 25-year-old has been an integral part of a Roosters side who have gone from wooden spoon winners in 2009 to NRL finalists.

Carney and Farah will go head to head again on Saturday when the Rosters take on the Tigers at the Sydney Football Stadium in the opening round of the finals.

After starting the season at fullback, Roosters coach Brian Smith reverted the Country Origin star to five-eighth alongside halfback Mitchell Pearce.

The move coincided with a stunning mid-season run of form that saw the side chalk up five successive wins, highlighted by a brilliant 48-12 victory over last year's grand finalists Parramatta at Parramatta Stadium.

Fittingly it was another former Roosters five-eighth, Robert 'Rocky' Laurie, who won the inaugural Dally M Medal playing for the Rabbitohs in 1980, who presented Carney with his medal.

Carney was also voted the fans' player of the year with more than 15,000 people voting throughout the season to declare him the Provan-Summons Medal winner for 2010.

Heartbreakingly for Farah, it was the second time he has been within a single vote of the game's highest individual honour after running second to Johnathan Thurston in 2007.

He walked away instead with the Hooker of the Year award.

It was a successful night all round for the Roosters, with Brian Smith winning coach of the year and Braith Anasta captain of the year.

Brisbane's Matt Gillett won rookie of the year.

Carney gave credit to Roosters coach Smith for his award.

"He told me when I came in (started at the club) if I was not heading in his direction to head out of the door," he said.

"I sat up and listened and I owe a lot of this award to him.

"Also my mum and my sisters who have been there for me all along and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

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