The Steve Prescott Man of Steel Awards is an end-of-season awards dinner for the Super League rugby league competition. The event's name is taken from the main award presented, the Man of Steel award for the rugby league footballer of the year. In 2014, it was renamed after Steve Prescott.
 | |
| Awarded for | Best player of the Super League season |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Rugby Football League |
| History | |
| First award | 1977 |
| First winner |  David Ward |
| Most wins | Ellery Hanley (3)  Wigan Warriors (11) |
| Most recent |  Bevan French (Wigan Warriors) (2023) |
The Steve Prescott Man of Steel award
editOrigins
editThe awards were started in 1977 when David Howes, the Rugby League's public relations officer, organised sponsorship worth £3,000 from Trumanns Steel Limited for awards in six different categories; Trumanns Man of Steel, Division One Player of the Year, Division Two Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Referee of the Year. The awards were voted on by the members of the rugby league press.[1]The first awards were made at the end of the 1976–77 season with the inaugural award winners being:[1]
- Trumanns Man of Steel - David Ward, Leeds
- Division One Player of the Year - Malcolm Reilly, Castleford
- Division Two Player of the Year - Ged Marsh, Blackpool Borough
- Young Player of the Year - David Ward, Leeds
- Coach of the Year - Eric Ashton, St Helens
- Referee of the Year - Billy Thompson
In 2008, the voting for the award was changed, with the winner being chosen by the players of the Super League instead.[2] In 2019, in response to criticism that some players were not taking the voting seriously,[3] a panel of former rugby league players was chosen to determine the winner of the award. The voting was changed to a system similar to the Australian Dally M Medal, with points being awarded to the best performing players after each game (three points for the man of the match, two points for the runner-up, and one point for the third best player).[4]
Name change
editFormer England player Steve Prescott died of cancer in 2013, aged 39.[5] Following a short campaign, a petition with over 12,000 signatures was sent to the Rugby Football League, calling for the Man of Steel award to be renamed in Prescott's honour.[6] In March 2014, the RFL officially announced that the award would be called the "Steve Prescott Man of Steel" from the 2014 season onwards.[7]
Men of Steel
edit
Multiple winners
edit| Player | Wins | Winning Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellery Hanley | 3 | 1985, 1987, 1989 |
| 2 | Paul Sculthorpe | 2 | 2001, 2002 |
| 3 | Andy Farrell | 2 | 1996, 2004 |
| 3 | Sam Tomkins | 2 | 2012, 2021 |
Winners by club
editWinners by country
edit| Nationality | Wins | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 32 |
| 2 | Australia | 9 |
| 3 |  Scotland | 2 |
| 4 |  Wales | 2 |
| 5 |  New Zealand | 2 |
Woman of Steel
editIn 2018 an additional category for the Woman of Steel from the Women's Super League was inaugurated.[9]
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Georgia Roche |  Castleford Tigers |
| 2019 | Courtney Hill |  Leeds Rhinos |
| 2020 | No award | |
| 2021 | Jodie Cunningham |  St. Helens |
| 2022 | Tara-Jane Stanley |  York City Knights |
| 2023 | Sinead Peach | York Valkyrie |
Wheels of Steel
editIn 2023 a new category for Wheels of Steel from the RFL Wheelchair Super League was inaugurated.[10]
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Lewis King | London Roosters |
Other awards
editYoung Player of the Year
edit| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Keiron Cunningham | St. Helens |
| 1997 | Lee Briers |  Warrington Wolves |
| 1998 | Lee Gilmour | Wigan Warriors |
| 1999 | Leon Pryce |  Bradford Bulls |
| 2000 | Stuart Fielden | Bradford Bulls |
| 2001 | Rob Burrow | Leeds Rhinos |
| 2002 | Richard Horne |  Hull F.C. |
| 2003 | Gareth Hock | Wigan Warriors |
| 2004 | Shaun Briscoe | Hull F.C. |
| 2005 | Richard Whiting | Hull F.C. |
| 2006 | James Graham | St. Helens |
| 2007 | Sam Burgess | Bradford Bulls |
| 2008 | Joe Westerman | Castleford Tigers |
| 2009 | Sam Tomkins | Wigan Warriors |
| 2010 | Sam Tomkins | Wigan Warriors |
| 2011 | Jonny Lomax | St. Helens |
| 2012 | Zak Hardaker | Leeds Rhinos |
| 2013 | Ben Crooks | Hull F.C. |
| 2014 | Daryl Clark | Castleford Tigers |
| 2015 | George Williams | Wigan Warriors |
| 2016 | Tom Johnstone |  Wakefield Trinity |
| 2017 | Oliver Gildart | Wigan Warriors |
| 2018 | Jake Trueman | Castleford Tigers |
| 2019 | Matty Lees | St. Helens |
| 2020 | Harry Newman | Leeds Rhinos |
| 2021 | Jack Welsby | St. Helens |
| 2022 | Jack Welsby | St. Helens |
| 2023 | Josh Thewlis | Warrington Wolves |
Coach of the Year
edit
Top Try Scorer
edit
Top Points Scorer
editTop Metre Maker
edit| Year | Winner | Club | Metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Craig Greenhill | Hull F.C. | 3,594 |
| 2004 |  Michael Korkidas | Wakefield Trinity | 4,084 |
| 2005 | Terry O'Connor |  Widnes Vikings | 4,104 |
| 2006 | Danny Nutley | Castleford Tigers | 3,372 |
| 2007 | James Roby | St. Helens | 3,303 |
| 2008 | James Graham | St. Helens | 3,774 |
| 2009 | James Graham | St. Helens | 4,752 |
| 2010 | James Graham | St. Helens | 4,036 |
| 2011 | James Roby | St. Helens | 5,000 |
| 2012 | James Roby | St. Helens | 3,971 |
| 2013 | Jamie Peacock | Leeds Rhinos | 4,040 |
| 2014 | Matty Russell | Warrington Wolves | 3,546 |
| 2015 | Alex Walmsley | St. Helens | 4,092 |
| 2016 | Chris Hill | Warrington Wolves | 3,983 |
| 2017 | Alex Walmsley | St. Helens | 4,256 |
| 2018 |  Bill Tupou | Wakefield Trinity | 4,114 |
| 2019 | Tommy Makinson | St. Helens | 3,803 |
| 2020 | Ash Handley | Leeds Rhinos | 2,541 |
| 2021 | Tom Davies |  Catalans Dragons | 3,332 |
| 2022 | Ash Handley | Leeds Rhinos | 3,646 |
| 2023 | Tom Amone |  Leigh Leopards | 3,467 |
Hit Man
editThe player making most tackles in the regular season.
| Year | Winner | Club | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Malcolm Alker |  Salford Red Devils | 981 |
| 2010 | Dallas Johnson | Catalans Dragons | 1,106 |
| 2011 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,060 |
| 2012 | Danny Washbrook | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | 991 |
| 2013 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,179 |
| 2015 | James Roby | St. Helens | 1,054 |
| 2016 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,359 |
| 2017 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,123 |
| 2018 | Paul McShane | Castleford Tigers | 1,160 |
| 2019 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,259 |
| 2020 | Michael Lawrence |  Huddersfield Giants | 749 |
| 2021 | Joe Shorrocks | Wigan Warriors | 833 |
| 2022 | Danny Houghton | Hull F.C. | 1,031 |
| 2023 | Luke Yates | Huddersfield Giants | 1,027 |
Club of the Year
edit| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Huddersfield Giants |
| 2010 | Wigan Warriors |
| 2011 | Huddersfield Giants |
| 2012 | Wigan Warriors |
| 2013 | St. Helens |
| 2014 | Widnes Vikings |
| 2015 | Leeds Rhinos |
| 2016 | Hull F.C. |
| 2017 | Castleford Tigers |
| 2018 | Warrington Wolves |
- The Mike Gregory Spirit of Rugby League Award - Both players and non-players are eligible to receive the award, which will be judged by a panel from the governing body.
- Fairplay Index Award for Super League
- The Community Player of the year
Special awards
edit- The ‘200 Club’ - retiring players who have played in over 200 games.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "The birth of Rugby League's 'Man of Steel'". Rugby League Journal. No. 62. Spring 2018. p. 7.
- ^ Wilson, Andy (8 August 2008). "Players not necessarily best judge of Steel". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Some players mock of Man of Steel voting with bizarre votes". Total Rugby League. League Publications. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Man of Steel Panel Announced". Rugby Football League. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ BBC Sport, "Rugby League star Steve Prescott dies of stomach cancer, aged 39", 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013
- ^ Campbell, James (19 February 2014). "'Man of Steel Steve Prescott Award' petition handed into Rugby League HQ in honour of Hull FC legend". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Man of Steel award to be re-named in memory of the late Steve Prescott". Sky Sports. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Man of Steel on SLTV". Super League. 2009-10-06. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ "Woman of Steel: Lois Forsell, Tara-Jane Stanley and Georgia Roche on shortlist". BBC Sport. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ "Bevan French: Wigan Warriors stand-off wins 2023 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award". BBC Sport. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.