Iconic Wigan Warriors trio among five-strong Man of Steel panel with revised system explained
A new voting system will be used to decide the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award in the 2026 Super League season, with a five-strong panel of former winners set to choose the competition’s best player.
The Man of Steel award is rugby league’s most prestigious individual honour, given each year to the player judged to have made the biggest impact across the season. Organisers have now confirmed changes to how the winner will be selected, moving away from the points-based system.
The panel will consist of Wigan Warriors icons Ellery Hanley MBE, Joe Lydon and Sam Tomkins, as well as St Helens legends Paul Sculthorpe MBE and James Roby. All five are former Man of Steel winners and will take part in a more detailed review process to identify the league’s top performer.
In previous seasons, a large group of former players awarded points after every match: three points for the player of the match, two for the second-best performer, and one for the third. These points were added up across the season, with a weekly leaderboard published until midway through the campaign, before the process went ‘dark’.
Under the new system, the weekly points method will be replaced by a discussion-led panel. The five-man panel will meet at three stages during the regular season to review performances across blocks of matches. Meetings are scheduled after Round 9 (April 26), Round 18 (July 12), and following the final round of the regular season, Round 27 (September 11).
After each meeting, the panel will publish a shortlist of players who have stood out during that period. Once the regular season ends, the panel will meet again to create a final shortlist and hold detailed deliberations to decide the eventual winner. The announcement will be made during Grand Final week at the Rugby League Awards Night.
The judging process will consider more than statistics alone. While attacking numbers such as tries, assists, and metres made remain important, the panel will also evaluate leadership, consistency, and the ability to influence key moments in both attack and defence.
Hanley remains the only player to have won the award three times, while Sculthorpe claimed the honour in consecutive seasons, and Tomkins is also a two-time winner. Lydon and Roby have each won the award once, with Roby, Lydon and Tomkins joining the judging panel for the first time.
Rhodri Jones, managing director of RL Commercial, said: “I would like to put on record my personal thanks to the long list of ex-players who have provided their expertise and time over the last six seasons to determine the sport’s most prestigious individual award.
"A refreshed approach to determine the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award demonstrates the need to refine our processes from time to time. I am looking forward to hearing the five panellists discuss their thoughts on the outstanding performers throughout the season.”
The new system is designed to ensure the Man of Steel continues to recognise the player who has made the biggest impact on Super League each year, rewarding consistent excellence across the campaign rather than just standout individual matches.