Giants legends stride into Man of Steel panel
HUDDERSFIELD Giants legends Eorl Crabtree and Robbie Hunter-Paul are among a panel of who’s who chosen to select the 2019 Steve Prescott Man of Steel.
The 21-strong panel, chaired by three-time Man of Steel winner Ellery Hanley, also includes former Giants coaches Garry Schofield and Malcolm Reilly along with internationals Martin Offiah, Adrian Morley, Denis Betts and, Rugby League Hall of Fame member Johnny Whiteley, and ex-England captains Jamie Peacock and Paul Sculthorpe.
The full panel, which also includes former French international Jerome Guisset, was unveiled at a launch in Leeds, where the points awarded from the second round of Betfred Super League were announced.
Under a new structure introduced as part of Super League chief executive Robert Elstone’s #NewBeginnings theme, the panel members are each week allocated matches from which they select the top three players.
The scores are announced each week until round 22 in mid-July when the leaderboard will be hidden until the awards ceremony in October.
More recently, the prestigious award was determined by a poll of current Super League players but not all of them took the task seriously.
Elstone said: “It feels wholly appropriate that the game’s highest individual award, with over 40 years of heritage, be selected by a panel of iconic and multidecorated former players.”
Hanley said: “The panel is an outstanding group of former players from across the generations
“They have experience of playing at the top of the game, with seven of the group being Man of Steel winners and five inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Their insight is priceless and will shape the worthy winner of the game’s ultimate individual accolade.”
The full panel comprises Ellery Hanley, Denis Betts, Phil Clarke, Paul Cooke, Eorl Crabtree, Jonathan Davies, Jerome Guisset, Robbie HunterPaul, Chris Joynt, Andy Lynch, Barrie McDermott, Adrian Morley, Terry O’Connor, Martin Offiah, Jamie Peacock, Mal Reilly, Jason Robinson, Garry Schofield, Paul Sculthorpe, Keith Senior and Johnny Whiteley.