Men

Man of Steel: The Lowdown

29 Sep 2025

Man of Steel: The Lowdown

The annual Rugby League Awards Night is almost upon us, which means we’ll soon find out the 2025 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel.

This year, the Man of Steel contenders are Jake Connor, Jai Field and Mikey Lewis.

Connor has enjoyed arguably the best season of his career, having relished the playmaking responsibility on stand-off in Brad Arthur’s Rhinos side.

Field has been consistently fantastic for the current champions Wigan Warriors, while Hull KR’s magician Lewis, the 2024 winner, is aiming to become only the second ever player retain the award.

Who will be crowned the 49th Man of Steel?

What is the Man of Steel Award?

The Man of Steel Award is the highest and most prestigious individual honour in the Betfred Super League, which recognises the best player of the season.

Did you know that the first award was invented in 1977?

The Man of Steel has been presented at the end of every season since, and ahead of the 2014 Super League, was renamed in tribute to the former St Helens, Hull, Wakefield, England and Ireland full-back, Steve Prescott MBE.

Prescott responded inspirationally to the diagnosis of a rare form of stomach cancer in 2006, and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity before his death at the age of 39 in November 2013.

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What is the voting process for the Man of Steel?

Originally, the awards were voted on by the members of the rugby league press.

Then, in 2008, the voting for the award was changed, with the winner being chosen by the players of the Super League instead.

In 2019, another new format for awarding the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel was introduced, whereby a panel consisting of 21 respected former players voted on a match-by-match basis, awarding consistency throughout the season. 

A member of the panel watches each Betfred Super League game throughout the season and award points to the three best performing players: 3 points for their chosen player of the match, 2 for the runner-up, and 1 for the third-ranked player. 

After the final round of the regular season, the top three players in the Man of Steel Leaderboard are announced. Three panel members then meet to ratify the winner. 

The scores are made public every week from the first round of every season, before being hidden from the public eye at the halfway point.

Here's how the leaderboard looked midway in 2025:

When is the Man of Steel Award presented?

The Man of Steel Award is presented at Rugby League’s yearly Awards Night, alongside a coveted list of Rugby League awards.

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The Women’s Super League Awards have been presented together with the Men's Awards for the best part of a decade, and since 2023, both the men and women have been joined by recognition for the outstanding performers in the Betfred Wheelchair Super League, as well as the Betfred Championship and League One competitions.

And the upcoming Awards Night will once again celebrate the inclusivity of Rugby League as the Betfred Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair Super Leagues are all recognised – with the Man of Steel, Woman of Steel and Wheels of Steel awards and their respective Young Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

The 2025 ceremony will also include Championship and League One’s awards again.

Who was the inaugural winner of the Man of Steel Award?

Leeds legend and hooker, David Ward, won the first Man of Steel Award in 1976-77 season.

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Photo Credit: Leeds Rhinos

 

Who is the most recent winner of the Man of Steel Award?

The 2024 Man of Steel winner was Hull KR’s magic Mikey Lewis.

Half-back Lewis was recognised for his exceptional contributions to the Robins during their history-making 2024 season.

The star man was highly influential in his side, inspiring them to their first ever top two Super League finish, as well as maiden Super League Grand Final appearance.

He became just the second Hull KR player to win the award since it was introduced in 1977, and the first since Gavin Miller in 1986.

Lewis is in contention for Man of Steel in 2025 and would become only the fourth player to win the award more than once since it was introduced in 1977, and only the second to retain it (after Paul Sculthorpe).

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How many players have won the Man of Steel Award more than once?

Four players have been named as Man of Steel more than once.

The great Ellery Hanley MBE has won the award an impressive three times whilst at Bradford and Wigan - the only player to ever achieve this feat.

Paul Sculthorpe MBE is currently the only player to go back-to-back, having been crowned Man of Steel in both 2001 and 2002 after two stellar seasons with St Helens.

Wigan's Andy Farrell is also a two-time winner and was the first Man of Steel in the Super League era.

More recently, Sam Tomkins achieved the accolade twice, with his second Man of Steel coming nine years after his first. 

Tomkins first won the award with Wigan Warriors as a breakout star in 2012, before rolling back the years and helping Catalans Dragons to their first ever League Leaders' Shield in 2021.

 

-Ellery Hanley (3) – 1985, 1987, 1989

-Paul Sculthorpe (2) – 2001, 2002

-Andy Farrell (2) – 1996, 2004

-Sam Tomkins (2) – 2012, 2021

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Paul Sculthorpe (pictured right)

 

Man of Steel winners by club:

In history, Wigan Warriors have had the most players crowned the Man of Steel, with rivals St Helens not too far behind.

 

-Wigan Warriors – 12

-St Helens – 9

-Castleford Tigers – 5

-Leeds Rhinos - 4

-Widnes Vikings – 3

-Bradford Bulls 3

-Warrington Wolves – 2

-Huddersfield Giants - 2

-Salford Red Devils – 2

-Hull KR – 2

-Carlisle – 1

-Catalans Dragons – 1

-Featherstone Rovers – 1

-Catalans Dragons – 1

-Hull FC – 1

 

Click HERE to view the full list of previous Man of Steel winners.

 

Man of Steel winners by country:

-England – 33

-Australia – 9

-Scotland – 2

-Wales – 2

-New Zealand – 2

 

The 2025 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel will be crowned at the Rugby League Awards Night in Manchester on Tuesday October 7 – in the build-up to the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 11.

Have you got your tickets for Rugby League's biggest night yet? Tickets start at just £30 for adults, and £15 for juniors - secure your place today!