WHAT IS THE MAN OF STEEL?
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.
The first award was first introduced 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.
WHO IS THE CURRENT MAN OF STEEL?
Brad O'Neill is the reigning Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel.
The England hooker’s outstanding season had already earned him a first selection in the 2026 Betfred Super League Dream Team plus the Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association Player of the Year Award.
But O’Neill also came out on top for the most prestigious individual award in the sport after seeing off challenges from Leeds Rhinos’ Lachie Miller and Wigan team-mate Adam Keighran.
O'Neill was part of a Warriors side who collected both the League Leaders’ Shield and Challenge Cup trophy in the 2026 season.
How is the Man of Steel Award decided?
n 2026, a new and refreshed format for awarding the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel was introduced.
The Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel panel drew on the expertise of five legendary former winners to help crown the victor in 2026.
Rugby league icons Ellery Hanley MBE, Joe Lydon, Paul Sculthorpe MBE, James Roby and Sam Tomkins accepted invitations to take part in the detailed analysis process behind selecting the winner of the prestigious award.
The new-look five-man panel met on three separate occasions throughout the season to evaluate the competition's leading performers.
Hanley, Sculthorpe, Lydon, Roby and Tomkins assessed candidates following Round 9 (April 26), Round 18 (July 12) and Round 27 (September 11).
Following each meeting, a shortlist of the leading performers from that block of fixtures was publicly announced.
At the end of the regular campaign, the panel convened once more to draw up a final shortlist for the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel and begin deliberations on the eventual winner.
The panel adopted a holistic approach when determining the Super League's standout player, taking into account not only individual performance data such as assists, tries scored and metres made, but also leadership, consistency and game-defining moments in both attack and defence.
MAN OF STEEL - THE PANEL
