Wigan Warriors dominate Woman of Steel standings as Jenna Foubister leads the way
Wigan Warriors dominate the Woman of Steel’s top five contender spots after an excellent start to the season
Wigan Warriors star Jenna Foubister has emerged as the early frontrunner for the 2026 Woman of Steel award following an outstanding start to the year.
A five-strong panel debated the form of players across the opening three rounds of the Women’s Super League and this year’s Women’s Challenge Cup campaign, with the talented 19-year-old being deemed top of the pile.
Foubister, who came through Wigan’s youth ranks, has enjoyed a stellar start to the year, having produced a Player of the Match performance under the famous Wembley arch in May, helping the Warriors retain the Women’s Challenge Cup thanks to a dominant 54-6 win over rivals St Helens.
The England international came up with two assists, three line-break assists and controlled the Cup final with her kicking game as the Warriors ran in 10 tries to ease past the Saints.
Foubister is joined by his Wigan team-mate Megan Williams, who was voted second in the Woman of Steel rankings, with the prolific try-scoring winger Anna Davies in third.
A clean sweep for the Warriors was completed with captain and club stalwart Georgia Wilson taking fourth spot and reigning Woman of Steel Eva Hunter completing the top five.
The five panellists whittled down a 10-player shortlist, which also included St Helens halfback Faye Gaskin, Connie Boyd of Leeds Rhinos, Huddersfield Giants ace Amelia Brown, plus Wigan duo Izzy Rowe and Mary Coleman.
Similar to this year’s Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award, the new panel will meet on two more occasions throughout the campaign to assess candidates - after Round 7 (July 21) and the final round (September 15). Following each meeting, a shortlist of the leading performers from that block of games will be publicly announced.
At the end of the regular campaign, the panel will meet one last time to draw together a final shortlist for the Woman of Steel and begin deliberations on the eventual outcome for the competition’s most prestigious individual award.
Woman of Steel top five (after opening three rounds and Challenge Cup): 1. Jenna Foubister (Wigan), 2. Megan Williams (Wigan), 3. Anna Davies (Wigan), 4. Georgia Wilson (Wigan), 5. Eva Hunter (Wigan).