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.
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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.
The British rugby league system is based on a five-tier structure administered by the Rugby Football League.
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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.
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