The Championship end-of-season awards will be dominated by York Knights with the three Player of the Year nominees all hailing from the League Leaders Shield winners, however, their monopoly was broken with a Leeds Rhinos loanee being crowned Young Player of the Year.
A dominant season for York has been recognised and the man at the helm of it, head coach Mark Applegarth, has already been crowned as Coach of the Year, winning that almost unanimously.
The former Wakefield Trinity boss will receive that accolade the the Rugby League Award’s Night next Tuesday, attending alongside three of his players who have been shortlisted for the Player of the Year trophy.
Applegarth has led York to a historic season that’s already seen them pick up two pieces of silverware in the 1895 Cup and the League Leaders Shield, with the Knights set to host Toulouse Olympique in the Grand Final this coming Sunday as they aim to win the treble.
The Knights are on a 20-game winning streak with their last defeat coming all the way back in April and three of those players key to the success at York have been nominated for Championship Player of the Year.
York Knights dominate but Leeds Rhinos youngster lifts silverware
Captain Liam Harris, former Super League Man of Steel winner Paul McShane, and powerhouse forward Jordan Thompson are the three York players selected for the Player of the Year award but in truth, a number of other Knights players could have been given the nod.
Former Super League winger Ben Jones-Bishop leads the competition for tries and scored again in their play-off semi-final win, whilst the likes of Scott Galeano and Jesse Dee have also had incredible seasons.
Despite that, few can argue with the trio selected with captain fantastic Liam Harris among the competition’s best playmakers. He’s been helped at times in the halves by former Castleford man Paul McShane, who has predominantly played at hooker but featured in the halves too.
McShane was crowned Man of Steel in 2020 and could claim the Championship equivalent just five years on, but he’ll have to beat out both Harris and forward Jordan Thompson.
Thompson has been everywhere in 2025 for the Knights, making 31 appearances and scoring three tries mainly from loose forward.
Wakefield dominated the awards last year but it’s the turn of York in 2025 and deservedly so with that trio learning who wins next Tuesday.
One man who will definitely be claiming silverware is Jack Smith, the young Leeds Rhinos centre, who has been named as Championship Young Player of the Year for his impact on loan with London Broncos.
The 20-year-old was selected for that in a poll of the coaches, something that had also decided Applegarth’s win as Coach of the Year.
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