Man of Steel on SLTV

Tuesday 6th October 09

Huddersfield Giants dominated the awards at the prestigious engage Super League Man of Steel dinner in Manchester.

Australian full-back Brett Hodgson was named Man of Steel, fellow countryman Nathan Brown won the coach-of-the-year award and the Giants were named engage Super League club of the year.

Brown topped a poll of his fellow Super League coaches after transforming the fortunes of the West Yorkshire club in his first season at the Galpharm Stadium.

Huddersfield, who finished third from bottom of the table in 2008, came third this year and reached the Carnegie Challenge Cup final, with Hodgson the central figure behind their improved fortunes.

The 31-year-old was named Rugby League Writers’ Association player of the year last month and won the most votes in a poll of Super League players to lift the game’s most coveted individual award.

Hodgson, who was deemed to have made the biggest impact on the season, beat off competition from Warrington Wolves captain Adrian Morley and St Helens prop James Graham, who won the award in 2008.

Hodgson’s success ends a run of four successive victories by St Helens players and he emulates 2005 winner Jamie Lyon in lifting the award in his first season in Super League. He is only the fourth Australian to win the award since it was instigated in 1977.

“Just to be nominated as one of the three players was such a big honour so there was no way I was going to miss such a big occasion,”  said Hodgson, who delayed his flight back to Australia so he could attend the ceremony.

“I’m over the moon, just so proud. This honour is absolutely huge. It’s just something you don’t dream about at the start of the year. I’ll have to pinch myself in the next few days to realise what I’ve achieved.”

In being named club of the year, Huddersfield were praised for their investment in coaching and talent development over the last 12 months which has seen local players Leroy Cudjoe and Michael Lawrence break into the first team.

The other major award went to Wigan Warriors’ 20-year-old half-back Sam Tomkins, who was named young player of the year.

Tomkins, who was included in the 2009 Super League Dream Team at the end of his first full season in the top flight, won the award ahead of Salford scrum half Richie Myler and St Helens half-back Kyle Eastmond.

Special awards were made to Robbie Paul and Stanley Gene to mark the end of their Super League careers, Paul Wellens to mark his 350th appearance for St Helens, Warrington’s Lee Briers for his 300th Super League appearance and to Hull FC captain Lee Radford, who passed the 300 career appearances milestone this summer.

Awards

Man of Steel: Brett Hodgson (Huddersfield)
Coach of the year: Nathan Brown (Huddersfield)
engage Super League club of the year: Huddersfield
Young player of the year: Sam Tomkins (Wigan Warriors)
Carnegie community player of the year: Lee Radford (Hull FC)
Frontline fairplay index winners: Hull FC
Metre-maker: James Graham (St Helens), 4,752 metres
Hit Man: Malcolm Alker (Salford), 981 tackles
Mike Gregory spirit of rugby league award: Steve Prescott