Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos stars lead Man of Steel chase as leaderboard goes dark

Ben Olawumi 24 Jun 2025 4:50 PM

Jake Connor, Mikey Lewis, Herman Ese'ese — From left to right: Jake Connor (Leeds Rhinos), Mikey Lewis (Hull KR) and Herman Ese'ese (Hull FC) are all among the frontrunners to be named this year's Steve Prescott Man of Steel

Leeds Rhinos’ Jake Connor leads the way in the race to be crowned this year’s Man of Steel, with Hull FC’s Herman Ese’ese close behind him as the leaderboard now officially goes dark for the rest of the season.

Connor – who joined Leeds from fellow Super League outfit Huddersfield Giants ahead of 2025 – has caught the eye regularly during his time at Headingley so far.

He didn’t scoop any Man of Steel points following the Rhinos‘ defeat at St Helens in Round 15, with Saints completing a full sweep in that regard, but remains out in front with a tally of 21.

Ese’ese sits second with an overall tally of 16, five behind him. The monstrous prop has been Hull’s best performer in a campaign which has already seen him earn himself a new long-term deal at the MKM Stadium.

The Airlie Birds star is also on track to score the most tries in a single Super League campaign of any forward for almost ten years.

Elsewhere, last year’s Man of Steel Mikey Lewis sits fifth in this year’s standings after Round 16 having notched 12 points so far this term.

The England international became Hull KR‘s first Man of Steel winner since 1986 when he scooped the honour in 2024, and will fancy his chances of being in contention again come the end of this year given how the Robins are performing in Super League.

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Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos stars lead Man of Steel chase as leaderboard goes dark

How does the voting system for the Man of Steel work? Well, a panel of former players determine the eventual winner of the prestigious accolade, with points being awarded to the best performing players after each game.

Three points are usually allocated to the Player-of-the-Match, two points for the runner-up and one point for the third best player in a game.

Here is this year’s top ten in full following Round 16, with the leaderboard now going dark and the points tallies not being publicly available to see from here on in…