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
editMultiple winners
edit| Player | Wins | Winning Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1985, 1987, 1989 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2001, 2002 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1996, 2004 | |
| 3 | 2 | 2012, 2021 |
Winners by club
edit| Club | Wins | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | |
| 2 | 9 | |
| 3 | 5 | |
| 4 | 4 | |
| 5 | 3 | |
| 7 | 2 | |
| 9 | Carlisle | 1 |
Winners by country
edit| Nationality | Wins | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | |
| 2 | 9 | |
| 3 | 2 | |
| 4 | 2 | |
| 5 | 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 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | No award | |
| 2021 | ||
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
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 | London Roosters |
Other awards
editYoung Player of the Year
edit| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | ||
| 1997 | ||
| 1998 | ||
| 1999 | ||
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 | ||
| 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2013 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2015 | ||
| 2016 | ||
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 2021 | ||
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 |
Coach of the Year
edit| Year | Nat | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Nathan Brown | ||
| 2010 | Michael Maguire | ||
| 2011 | Trent Robinson | ||
| 2012 | Mick Potter | ||
| 2013 | Paul Anderson | ||
| 2014 | Daryl Powell | ||
| 2015 | Brian McDermott | ||
| 2016 | Lee Radford | ||
| 2017 | Daryl Powell | ||
| 2018 | Shaun Wane | ||
| 2019 | Justin Holbrook | ||
| 2020 | Adrian Lam | ||
| 2021 | Steve McNamara | ||
| 2022 | Matt Peet | ||
| 2023 | Adrian Lam |
Top Try Scorer
editTop Points Scorer
editTop Metre Maker
edit| Year | Winner | Club | Metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 3,594 | ||
| 2004 | 4,084 | ||
| 2005 | 4,104 | ||
| 2006 | 3,372 | ||
| 2007 | 3,303 | ||
| 2008 | 3,774 | ||
| 2009 | 4,752 | ||
| 2010 | 4,036 | ||
| 2011 | 5,000 | ||
| 2012 | 3,971 | ||
| 2013 | 4,040 | ||
| 2014 | 3,546 | ||
| 2015 | 4,092 | ||
| 2016 | 3,983 | ||
| 2017 | 4,256 | ||
| 2018 | 4,114 | ||
| 2019 | 3,803 | ||
| 2020 | 2,541 | ||
| 2021 | 3,332 | ||
| 2022 | 3,646 | ||
| 2023 | 3,467 |
Hit Man
editThe player making most tackles in the regular season.
| Year | Winner | Club | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 981 | ||
| 2010 | 1,106 | ||
| 2011 | 1,060 | ||
| 2012 | 991 | ||
| 2013 | 1,179 | ||
| 2015 | 1,054 | ||
| 2016 | 1,359 | ||
| 2017 | 1,123 | ||
| 2018 | 1,160 | ||
| 2019 | 1,259 | ||
| 2020 | 749 | ||
| 2021 | 833 | ||
| 2022 | 1,031 | ||
| 2023 | 1,027 |
Club of the Year
edit| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 |
- 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
editReferences
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.