With Super League starting this week the betting for the Man of Steel race has taken a huge turn with one star’s odds slashed.
Being crowned as the Super League Man of Steel is among the biggest personal accolades in rugby league, certainly in the Northern Hemisphere, with the award going to the best-performing player in the competition.
Recent winners include Brodie Croft, Bevan French and 2024 winner Mikey Lewis – all of whom are well-fancied in the betting this year with Wigan’s French the favourite to claim the crown.
Super League sponsors Betfred make him the 7/1 favourite whilst Lewis (12/1) and Croft (20/1) are also among those heading the market.
Betfred launched their market at the end of January but in the space of less than a fortnight one of the leading stars of the 2024 Super League campaign has seen his odds cut by more than half, showcasing exactly where the punters are putting their money.
Wigan Warriors star sees odds slashed to win Super League Man of Steel
Credit: Paul Currie/SWpix.com
That man is 2024’s Super League Young Player of the Year Junior Nsemba with the 20-year-old second-rower now priced up as the 12/1 joint third-favourite.
Nsemba’s odds have crashed in from 25/1 at the time Serious About Rugby League first reported the Man of Steel odds on January 29th suggesting that plenty of fans have been backing the young forward.
He now shares the same price as 2024’s winner Mikey Lewis, and England winger Matty Ashton with just his teammate Bevan French and St Helens’ new signing Tristan Sailor (10/1) ahead of him in the betting.
What makes the odds change even more incredible is the fact that Nsemba is a forward, a position that rarely claims the title of Man of Steel with James Graham being the last true forward to win in 2008.
Several hookers have won in the meantime including Daryl Clark, Danny Houghton and Paul McShane but Graham was the last true powerhouse forward to win the award – almost 20 years ago.
Other somewhat notable price changes are the fact French has moved from 8/1 to 7/1, justifying his favouritism, whilst Leigh’s David Armstrong has jumped from a massive 33/1 to just 16/1 – making him another to have his odds slashed by more than half.
Catalans’ Luke Keary has moved into 16/1 from 33s whilst Jake Connor’s pre-season form has seen him soften from 25/1 to 22/1.
Odds correct at the time of writing with all odds taken from Betfred.
