Super League’s Young Player of the Year shortlist includes St Helens, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves stars
From left to right: George Delaney (St Helens), Junior Nsemba (Wigan) and Matty Nicholson (Warrington) in Super League action
The shortlist for the 2024 Super League Young Player of the Year award has been revealed: and for the first time in five years, it will definitely be a forward.
St Helens prop George Delaney, Warrington Wolves back-rower Matty Nicholson and Wigan Warriors talent Junior Nsemba are the three nominees for the award, which will be presented at Rugby League’s Awards Night next Tuesday, October 8, at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
Delaney’s Saints team-mate Matty Lees was the last forward to win Super League‘s Young Player of the Year award (2019), which is determined by members of the England RL Performance Unit.
And to be eligible, players must have been under the age of 21 at the start of the Super League season.
Warrington Wolves winger Josh Thewlis scooped the YPOTY award last year, preceded by Jack Welsby of St Helens in 2022 and 2021 and Leeds Rhinos’ Harry Newman in 2020.
Daryl Clark (Castleford Tigers, 2014) and Joe Westerman (Castleford Tigers, 2008) are the only other forwards to win Super League’s Young Player of the Year award since the current Warrington head coach Sam Burgess in 2007 whilst playing for Bradford Bulls.
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Meet the nominees for the 2024 Super League Young Player of the Year award
Nicholson, 21, played his junior rugby at Siddal before coming through the youth ranks at Wigan. He left the Warriors to join neighbours Warrington midway through the 2022 campaign. He has already won two England caps and has signed a three-year contract with NRL side Canberra Raiders from 2025.
Delaney, 20, is a product of the Halton Farnworth Hornets community club in Widnes and came through the junior system at St Helens. Delaney, who was 18th man for England’s mid-season win over France, has already played 47 games for Saints’ first-team.
Nsemba played his junior rugby for Wigan St Judes before joining the youth set-up at the Warriors. The towering back-rower was a debutant in this year’s Super League Dream Team as well as being called up to Shaun Wane’s extended England squad for the first time ahead of their two-match Test series against Samoa on home soil this autumn.
The nominees for Super League’s Coach of the Year will be announced at 3:30pm on Tuesday (October 1) and the nominees to be Super League’s 2024 Steve Prescott Man of Steel will be announced on Wednesday (October 2) at 3:30pm.
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