The five shortlisted Super League players that the Man of Steel panel overlooked including Hull KR star

Last night, the initial shortlist for the 2026 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award was announced, and Leeds Rhinos full-back Lachie Miller was named the frontrunner for that award at this stage.

The Rhinos speedster, alongside teammate Brodie Croft, formed part of that quintet, which was decided on by a panel of five legends including Paul Sculthorpe, Ellery Hanley and James Roby.

Other players to make the five were Hull KR duo Tyrone May and Jez Litten, who were named in third and second respectively after standout starts to the campaign that included a World Club Challenge victory.

Rounding out the five was St Helens hooker Daryl Clark, who was debated to have been the Red Vee’s vest player in the opening third of 2026.

The panel picked those five players after it was whittled down from a 10-man shortlist. Some players who are in the top 10 can call themselves unlucky to not make the five, and on the flip side there are a few players who have not made the top 10 at all, including the reigning Man of Steel, Jake Connor.

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Five players to miss out on Super League Man of Steel top five shortlist

Connor, who is arguably having a better season than 2025 although the stats may not show it, was not even considered in the top 10, and neither was St Helens star Jackson Hastings.

Connor’s teammate, wing freak Maika Sivo, who at the time of debate had scored 14 tries in eight Super League appearances, was named in the 10, but the panel believed the Fijian doesn’t do enough work on the other side of the field to warrant a place in the shortlist.

Also in the running was St Helens talisman Tristan Sailor, who has had an electric start to the year but now faces a bigger task in trying to combine effectively with injury returnee Jack Welsby.

Hull KR star, and 2024 Man of Steel, Mikey Lewis, was the third Robins player in the 10, but the only one to not make the five, with Litten and May placed higher up than the England international.

Warrington Wolves hooker Danny Walker was another, with Wakefield Trinity half-back Jake Trueman rounding out the top 10 players of the season so far.