7 (very) early shouts for Man of Steel 2025 including Wigan and Warrington duo

The 2025 season hasn’t even begun yet, but players right across the top flight will already have their eyes set on the coveted Steve Prescott Man of Steel award.

This is a hotly contested award each year, and 2024 was no different as Mikey Lewis, Matt Dufty and Marc Sneyd fought tooth and nail into the final rounds before the Robins man was given the mantle.

You would imagine these three will be up there once again, but a case can almost certainly be made for players throughout the league.

But, who are the early front-runners to cop the trophy this year? Well, Love Rugby League makes the incredibly early case for the key runners and riders.

Bevan French

It’s an easy choice, potentially the most obvious choice, but 2023 winner Bevan French makes this list despite missing out on the shortlist last year – mainly due to his mid-season injury layoff.

French is one of the league’s most elite players and is certainly making a case to be considered as world-class. His inspirational performance in the Grand Final, which saw him named the first-ever recipient of the Rob Burrow Award, was the sign people needed to remind everyone of his true quality, but when fit is clearly the heartbeat of the Wigan juggernaut.

French notched 16 tries and 14 assists in his 18 appearances and proved a consistent threat ball-in-hand too with 1793 metres from his 232 carries. Imagine the numbers he would have posted had he have been fit for the whole campaign?!?

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Mikey Lewis

There was no way the 2024 winner Mikey Lewis will rest on his laurels, and he should be right in the mix for the award in 2025. The Hull KR halfback really hit his stride late into the season last year, and it was arguably the spark that turned the Robins into serious title contenders.

Lewis finished joint-top of the assist charts in 2024 with 24 to his name, and also ended the campaign with 19 tries too – the third-highest in the comp.

His livewire approach to the game is so influential to the Robins style of play, and we expect he will be fully up in the Man of Steel standings once again.

Matty Ashton

Potentially a left-field shout here, but Warrington’s Matty Ashton could easily find himself in contention for the Man of Steel award given his superb 2024 season.

The England winger was a constant threat in the revamp Wire attack, and his ability to create a try from nothing was arguably the key behind its success. He grabbed 21 tries across the campaign, and chewed up an impressive 2975 metres ball-in-hand too.

Again, it’s a bold call, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be up there.

Jai Field

He wasn’t able to have his usual effect on the Warriors in 2024, due to injury, but when Jai Field is fit and playing on top form he is some talent. His speed makes him such a threat in broken play, but crucially it’s his combination with Bevan French that really brings the best out in the pair. In his 18 league outings last year, Field notched a tidy 12 assists and six tries.

Whilst the focus is on his attacking exploits, his defence has come on leaps and bounds in the past year too, particularly cover defence, and that’s a skill that could take him to the Man of Steel award.

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Matt Dufty

Last year’s runner-up, Matt Dufty, could easily find himself in the mix once again this year if he replicates his 2024 form. The Australian fullback was another key cog in the new-look Warrington attack last year and really benefitted from the change in focus. He topped the charts for metres across the year, with 4234 metres to his name, an average of 192.5 per game!

His defence is arguably a question mark hanging over him, but there is no doubting he is one of the league’s best when on top form.

Brodie Croft

The Leeds Rhinos halfback was a bright spark in another tough year, and he will likely be pushing for the title he won in 2022 this year. Croft is such a dynamic player and has that ability to just create something from nothing either by putting someone through a gap or going through it himself. He ended the campaign with 22 assists, the third-highest in the league, and he also notched a haul of eight tries as well.

Croft was one of two Leeds players in the top 10 for the Man of Steel last year, and he should once again find himself in the mix.

Jack Welsby

Rounding off our early selections for Man of Steel is Jack Welsby, who should be back in the running after missing out on the shortlist in 2024. Again, he was frustrated by injury in 2024, but he is a superb player and certainly pushing to be in that world-class bracket.

He notched a tidy haul of 12 tries and 15 assists in his 22 league appearances last year, and his return to the side was certainly the spark they needed to fix their season after a torrid run mid-way through. The focus might be on his playmaking exploits, but yet he is such a threat in the carry, with 2230 metres to his name after the 2024 campaign.

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