Recipients
† = denotes a player who won the trophy but played on the losing team in the final.
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Competition | First Division Final (1965–1973) Premiership Final (1974–1997) Super League Grand Final (1998–2023) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters' Association |
| History | |
| First award | 1965 |
| Editions | 59 |
| Final award | 2023 |
| First winner | Terry Fogerty |
| Most recent | Jake Wardle |
The Harry Sunderland Trophy was awarded annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final and its predecessors, the RFL First Division Final and the Premiership Final, between 1965 and 2023. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Trophy was first awarded in the Rugby Football League Championship Final of the 1964–65 season following Sunderland's death. [1] [2]
After the 1972–73 season the play-off system was dropped as the League went to two divisions. The Trophy's use was continued in the Rugby League Premiership and Super League Premiership finals until Super League III, when a play-off system was re-introduced to determine the Champions through the Grand Final.
The trophy's winner is determined by the Rugby League Writers' Association and presented on the field immediately following the conclusion of the match. In 2011, Rob Burrow of Leeds Rhinos became the first player to achieve the unanimous votes of all 37 judges when winning the award. [3]
In February 2024 the Rugby Football League announced that the trophy will be replaced by the Rob Burrow Award. [4] In announcing the new award, RFL vice-president Trevor Hunt said "I am certain that rugby league players and supporters will agree that the name of Rob Burrow is a fitting one to recognise, ... We believe that now is the right time to make a change that brings the award recognition into the new era, and Rob Burrow is the right man." [5]
† = denotes a player who won the trophy but played on the losing team in the final.
| Club | Awards (winners) |
|---|---|
 Bradford Bulls | 6 (6) |
 Dewsbury | 1 (1) |
 Halifax | 1 (1) |
 Hull F.C. | 1 (1) |
 Hull Kingston Rovers | 2 (2) |
 Leeds Rhinos | 12 (9) |
 St Helens | 13 (11) |
 Wakefield Trinity | 2 (2) |
 Warrington Wolves | 3 (3) |
 Widnes Vikings | 6 (5) |
 Wigan Warriors | 12 (11) |
Seven players have been awarded trophy twice.
The Rugby League Premiership was a competition for British rugby league clubs between 1973 and 1995. As the Super League Premiership the competition continued until 1997.
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league.
The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.
Kristian John Radlinski MBE is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played mainly as a fullback. He is currently CEO of Wigan Warriors whom he played his entire professional career for, making over 300 appearances between 1993 and 2006, and also represented England and Great Britain at international level.
The Lance Todd Trophy is a trophy in rugby league, awarded to man of the match in the annual Challenge Cup Final.
Kevin Sinfield is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain. His usual position was loose forward, although he played stand-off and hooker on occasion.
The Super League Grand Final is the championship-deciding game of rugby league's Super League competition. It is played between two teams who have qualified via the Super League play-offs. The winning team receives the Super League Trophy and goes on to play the NRL champions in the World Club Challenge. As of 2024, the Rob Burrow Award is awarded to the man of the match, replacing the Harry Sunderland Trophy. The match is normally played at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester.
Paul Simon Wellens is an English professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of St Helens in the Super League and a former professional rugby league footballer.
The History of the Bradford Bulls stretches back from their former incarnation as Bradford F.C. in 1863 to 2017.
Robert Geoffrey Burrow was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a scrum-half or hooker. Burrow spent his entire professional career with the Leeds Rhinos, making nearly 500 appearances as well as representing Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire.
Harry Sunderland was an Australian rugby league football administrator and journalist.
The Steve Prescott Man of Steel Awards is an end-of-season awards dinner for the Super League rugby league competition. The event's name is taken from the main award presented, the Man of Steel award for the rugby league footballer of the year. In 2014, it was renamed after Steve Prescott.
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either code of rugby. A concurrent Women's Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Challenge Cup have been held since 2012 and 2015 respectively.
The Super League is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of which eleven are from Northern England, reflecting the sport's geographic heartland within the UK and one from southern France.
The 1975–76 Rugby Football League season was the 81st season of rugby league football. The Championship was won by Salford and the Challenge Cup winners were St. Helens who beat Widnes 20-5 in the final. The Rugby League Premiership Trophy winners were also St. Helens who beat Salford 15-2 in the final.
1997 in rugby league centered on the Super League II and Australasia's split season.
Bevan French is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback, wing, or stand-off for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League.
The NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final is the championship-deciding game of women's rugby league's NRL Women's Premiership competition.
The Rob Burrow Award is presented annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final. It is named after former Leeds Rhinos player Rob Burrow, the first person to be voted man of the match in two Super League Grand Finals.
 | This rugby league competition article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |