A five-man panel have revealed the top five in the early-season Super League Man of Steel rankings with Leeds Rhinos’ Lachie Miller the current leader.
Miller is one of two Leeds Rhinos players on the shortlist with former winner Brodie Croft ranked fourth, however, there is no place for the 2025 winner Jake Connor or the 2026 leading try-scorer Maika Sivo, the latter of whom has already scored 17 Super League tries so far.
Hull KR pair Jez Litten and Tyrone May sit second and third whilst Daryl Clark has been ranked fifth with the quintet ranked after being whittled down from a larger 10-man shortlist.
The panel’s deliberations are set to be made available via Super League+ where they can be watched for free, however, panel member Ellery Hanley has already shed light on why it’s Lachie Miller to claim the top spot so far.
Hanley is the only ever three-time Man of Steel winner, so who better than him to explain why the Leeds Rhinos number one has been the standout.
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Why Leeds Rhinos’ full-back is the current Man of Steel front-runner
Stats can certainly back up his selection with the Australian having made 75 tackle breaks, more than any other player in Super League, whilst he’s also ran for a whopping 1,707 metres, the third-most in Super League.
“He announces himself in every game,” Hanley said in a Super League press release when explaining the selection of Miller.
“If you went to any opposition club Leeds were playing against, I bet Lachie Miller would be on the top of their list of players they need to get on top of.
“He’s one of the hardest players to tackle in Super League and has been sensational throughout the season so far.”
Analysing Miller’s play further, Hanley said: “His field position is absolutely brilliant at full-back and his pass accuracy has been magnificent for some of the tries he’s created both on the left and right.
“Lachie Miller’s number one at the moment – but a lot can change through the rest of the year.”
Further panel meetings will be held after round 18 and round 27 where the five-man shortlist is updated, before a final deliberation at the end of the year to create a three-man shortlist from which the winner will be selected.
