Betfred Super League Coach of the Year – nominees announced

Mike Eccles of London Broncos is among four nominees to be the Betfred Super League Coach of the Year for 2024, even though his team finished bottom of the table.

Eccles is joined by Matt Peet of Wigan Warriors, Willie Peters of Hull KR and Paul Rowley of Salford Red Devils following a poll of the 12 Super League head coaches – with the winner to be named at Rugby League’s Awards Night next Tuesday (October 8) at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Eccles was named Betfred Championship Coach of the Year in 2023 after steering the Broncos to a surprise promotion to the Super League, and has earned widespread admiration for the way his team have responded to a wide range of challenges, remaining competitive in the vast majority of their matches even though they only secured three wins.

It is a third consecutive nomination for both Peet and Rowley. Peet, who won the award in his first season as head coach of Wigan in 2022, has steered them to a second consecutive League Leaders’ Shield and picked up two other trophies, with victories over Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge in February, and over Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Challenge Cup Final at Wembley in June.

Rowley maintained his remarkable record of defying pessimistic pre-season predictions for Salford, with the Red Devils finishing fourth in the table to secure their second appearance in the Play-Offs in three years.

This is a first nomination for Peters, the Australian who took charge at Hull KR last season, and has followed a successful debut campaign in which they qualified for the Play-Offs and reached Wembley in the Challenge Cup by achieving greater consistency to secure a top two finish – the club’s first in the Super League era.

The nominees to be Super League’s 2024 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel will be announced tomorrow (Wednesday October 2) at 3.30pm.