The Liam Farrell column: And my Man of Steel vote went to...

It's the time of year when players get to vote for their Man of Steel.
Hull FC's Gareth Ellis and Warrington's Chris Hill have impressedHull FC's Gareth Ellis and Warrington's Chris Hill have impressed
Hull FC's Gareth Ellis and Warrington's Chris Hill have impressed

When we arrived at training on Monday, we were each given a form, asking us to vote for the player who has made the most impact on the season.

We rank three players, highest to lowest, and they can’t be a team-mate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It’s not been an easy choice and, as I write this now, I’ve still not finalised my list.

Denny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular seasonDenny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular season
Denny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular season

There are two nailed on.

The first is Denny Solomona, who has scored tries for fun for Castleford this season.

I know it’s rare for wingers to get the award, but I remember when Pat Richards got it in 2010, he killed it that season, so I think Denny deserves to be in there somewhere.

Gareth Ellis has to be in there.

Denny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular seasonDenny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular season
Denny Solomona is one try off matching Lesley Vainikolo's record of tries in a Super League regular season

Hull FC need him in the team to perform to their best – he’s been outstanding for them this season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I’m not sure what order I’ll put them in, and I’m undecided on the other name to put on my list.

Danny Houghton has been outstanding at times – he’s made something like 50,000 tackles for Hull FC, and been pretty impressive.

But I could also go with Chris Hill. He’s got the quality many players respect so highly – consistency – because each week he turns up, does his job, and does it really well.

Some of the things he does may not stand out but it’s really effective, and causes teams problems.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And there’s another Warrington player I’m considering – Ben Currie. He’s been really good this season, especially earlier in the year, and I was chuffed to see him score the match-winning try at Catalans at the weekend after what he went through at Wembley.

I’ll finalise my list in the next day or two. I know a couple of the other lads have been discussing who to pick – Luke Gale’s name has also been mentioned by a few.

As I say, we can’t vote for a team-mate, but it’d be interesting to know which Wigan players are being discussed at other clubs.

I would imagine George Williams would get some votes, and John Bateman, too.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I know Batty had a spell out of the team, but he plays the game tough, his workrate is unbelievable and he can do some special things, too.

There’s been one change to the voting system this year – we’ve been told it will be made public.

I’ve always taken it seriously – my view is if a player deserves it, they should get a fair vote.

But I’m not sure everyone thinks the same way. I think in the past, some players may have messed about, and when Sam Tomkins missed out on the award a few years ago, I did wonder how.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rangi Chase had a really good year, but I thought Sam was a level above everyone else and I was surprised he didn’t win it.

This season, the voting process will be transparent, which has to be a good thing.

Hull FC have been outstanding most of the season and deserve to be where they are.

But we’ve still got a chance of topping the league, and the pressure is on us to perform.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The KC Stadium is a good place for us, we’ve had some good results there over the years and it’s a stadium we like to play in.

But we’re under no illusions they’re a good team and we need an improved-performance on what we turned up with last Thursday night against Widnes.

We need to control their pack, Scott Taylor and Liam Watts, as well as Gaz Ellis, are doing a great job for them.

Related topics: