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Rugby League’s Man of Steel Award Race Heats Up as Halfway Mark Approaches
As the Super League season reaches the midway point, the battle for the prestigious Man of Steel award is intensifying. The league’s top try scorer, Liam Marshall, has already crossed the line 11 times, leading his nearest competitors by a comfortable margin of five tries. Meanwhile, Niall Evalds tops the try assist charts, level with his Castleford Tigers teammate Mikey Lewis, having racked up 16 assists so far.
However, the Man of Steel points table paints a different picture, with neither Marshall nor Evalds leading the charge. Instead, it is Salford Red Devils’ talismanic playmaker Marc Sneyd who currently sits atop the leaderboard, closely followed by Warrington Wolves’ Matt Moylan in second place. Sneyd’s teammate, the powerful centre Nene Macdonald, occupies the fourth position, just ahead of Warrington’s Matt Dufty in fifth.
Legendary rugby league pundit, Mike Stephenson, better known as “Stevo,” has now weighed in on the race for the coveted award. The former Sky Sports analyst believes that Marc Sneyd is the clear favorite to claim the Man of Steel title at the end of the season.
“His kicking game is nothing short of superb. He knows how to turn a team around, and instead of just opting for the high bomb all the time, he realizes that field position is important.”
Stevo highlighted Sneyd’s exceptional kicking game as a crucial weapon in the Salford half-back’s arsenal, particularly his ability to utilize the grubber kick to turn the opposing team around and gain valuable field position. The former Great Britain international went on to praise Sneyd’s tactical nous, stating that his use of grubber kicks, more than any other player in Super League, has proven to be a game-changing factor.
“That shows in your brains, it was miles in front on that game because of his control in that match,” Stevo concluded, firmly backing Sneyd as the frontrunner for the coveted Man of Steel award.
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