Man of Steel - The Panel meets for the first time

Paul Sculthorpe MBE admits he loves the new process for deliberating the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel – insisting it has sparked some brilliant debate. 

The five panellists have met to decide on their top five players after the opening nine rounds of the Betfred Super League with their discussions filmed for the first time ahead of a programme launch on Tuesday evening. 

Sculthorpe, a two-time winner of the prestigious award, was joined by fellow panellists Ellery Hanley MBE, Sam Tomkins, James Roby and Joe Lydon for a lively discussion hosted by Brian Carney. 

Man of Steel - The Panel, which is exclusive to SuperLeague+ and available FREE, sees the legendary former players dissect a shortlist of ten high performers before voting on their top five. 

Former St Helens and Great Britain captain Sculthorpe said: “I really enjoyed the show and feel it’s a great new way to help decide on who eventually will win the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel. 

“All five panellists have each won the Man of Steel before so fully know how prestigious the award is, what it takes to win it and its importance. 

“There’s a wealth of experience, knowledge and nous between us. And that ignites some quality debates. It’s fair to say, we don’t always agree!  

“There are some players who controversially miss the cut, some who get in the final five who might polarise opinion and plenty of other star performers who don’t even make the shortlist. 

“But, as this process allows, there’s chance for everyone still to stake a claim as the year goes on.  

“It's been fascinating analysing everyone’s performances so far and we’re all looking forward to the next episode which will be filmed once Round 18 is completed. 

“It’s an honour to be involved and all the panellists have said the same.” 

The Panel will meet again after Round 18 and Round 27 before having a final deliberation to decide their three-man shortlist and eventual winner which will be announced at the Rugby League Awards Night in Manchester on Tuesday September 29. 

Supporters need to create a RL One account (auth.rugby-league.com/dashboard) before signing into Super League+ (superleagueplus.co.uk) to access Man of Steel – The Panel.