Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel adjustments
20 Oct 2020
Betfred Super League can announce changes to the ranking system for the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award, to reflect the disruption caused to the 2020 calendar.
Super League’s showcase individual prize will be awarded on an average points per game basis for the first time.
The change is due to the significant disruption caused to the fixture schedule by Covid-19 and the inability to guarantee that every club will play the same number of matches by the end of the season.
The revised system is calculated by dividing the number of points attained by the player by the number of games played by that player’s team (the table below gives an example).
The voting system – ie the allocation of points per matches on a 3, 2, 1 basis – will remain the same.
Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel chairman Ellery Hanley said: “The panel has had to come up with some innovative solutions given the challenges we have faced this season.
“This process has been about maintaining the integrity of the Man of Steel competition amid huge disruption and we are all in agreement that, given the circumstances, this is the fairest option available to us.
“We couldn’t have a situation where we were electing a Man of Steel whose team had played more games than that of his nearest competition.
“As we enter the ‘dark’ phase of the competition - the point at which votes aren’t published – we are confident this will allow the best players in Super League 2020 to finish off the season knowing their efforts will be rewarded fairly at the end of it.
“We still have a very exciting contest on our hands because there have been some outstanding performances from a number of players since the season restarted in August.??
As outlined in July, Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel points picked up by players against Toronto Wolfpack have been removed.
In line with the changes made to the league table, teams must play a minimum of 15 games for a player from that team to be considered.
For illustration purposes, please see how the new points calculation will work with the latest Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel table - the last before votes are not published.
The new calculations to the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel are among other enforced changes that have been made due to the effect of Covid-19 on the 2020 season.
Those are also clarified here:
Play-Offs:
The top four teams after the regular season will play in the semi-final knockout games - with 1st playing 4th and 2nd against 3rd.
The teams at the top of the table ranked 1st and 2nd will have ‘home’ advantage in the semi-finals.
The winner of each semi-final will progress to the Betfred Super League Grand Final.
League Leaders’ Shield:
The League Leaders’ Shield, as also detailed in July, will be awarded to the team at the top of table on win percentage – that is calculated by taking the number of games won by a club divided by the number of matches played, multiplied by 100.
Should the win percentages be the same at the end of the season then, for consistency, Points Difference Percentage will come into effect. That will be calculated by dividing points scored by points conceded and multiplying by 100.
To see those changes affect the Super League table visit the Super League website homepage.
These amendments are outlined in the RFL Operational Rules – section B2:7.
Clubs must have played a minimum of 15 games - unless they end the regular season in the top four on competition points.
