Five Wigan Warriors stars have made the cut for the latest top 10 shortlist in this year’s Man of Steel – with Leeds Rhinos fullback Lachie Miller among the big names to miss out.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Matt Peet’s side dominate the official reveal of the top 10 for this year’s award given their form in 2026, not least in the second half of this season.
And five of their standout performers across the year have had their form reflected with inclusion in the latest shortlist for the most prestigious individual award in the game for Rounds 19 to 27.
Wigan dominate Man of Steel shortlist
That list is headlined by the inclusion of star half-back Bevan French, who is now seemingly in the running to win the award for a second time, as well as fullback Jai Field.
Wigan hooker Brad O’Neill’s magnificent year has also led to him being included by the all-star panel of former winners of the award. O’Neill is joined by scrum-half Harry Smith and centre Adam Keighran – another who has been one of the most consistent performers for the Warriors in 2026.
They are joined by players from three other clubs.
Leeds Rhinos half-back Jake Connor is in contention to win back-to-back Man of Steel awards after making the cut for the latest top 10 – and he is joined in that list by partner in the halves at Headingley, Brodie Croft.
Leigh Leopards have two inclusions too, with forward Joe Ofahengaue and centre Umyla Hanley’s impressive individual seasons leading to nominations this time around.
Meanwhile, Wakefield have representation in the latest top 10 too – with England-eligible forward Caleb Hamlin-Uele making the cut.
Big names miss out
Perhaps the biggest omission from the latest list is Leeds fullback Lachie Miller, who has been included in the shortlist on multiple occasions this season and was actually leading the race for Man of Steel at one stage.
The latest shortlist was put together by five former winners of the award, with Ellery Hanley MBE, Paul Sculthorpe MBE, Sam Tomkins, James Roby and Joe Lydon all coming together to pick the shortlist. They will now whittle that down to a final five based on all the three shortlists this year before deciding the winner ahead of the official coronation of the Man of Steel later this month.
Roby said: “There’s been some terrific individual performances in the last nine rounds of the regular Super League season. There’s plenty of debate in the show and it’s never easy whittling the ten down to five.
“We don’t all agree – you can tell that with the voting – but the final five is impressive and they’ll now go into our thinking when it comes to making our final decision on the 2026 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel.”