RFL announce Championships awards nominees
The RFL has confirmed the nominations for this year’s Co-operative Championships Awards.
In the Championship, Northern Rail Cup winners Leigh Centurions are in with a chance of taking home a clean sweep of awards, with representatives in all three categories.
Centurions half-back Jamie Ellis has been shortlisted for both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, while coach Ian Millward is one of three names in the running to win the Coach of the Year category.
In the Player of the Year category, Ellis has been joined by team-mate Chris Hill along with Featherstone Rovers half-back and winner of the 2010 award, Liam Finn.
Halifax’s Jacob Fairbank and Batley Bulldogs player Dane Manning are the other names in the running for the Young Player of the Year award while Bulldogs coach Karl Harrison has joined Millward and Featherstone’s Daryl Powell in the Coach of the Year category.In Championship One, four players have been shortlisted for a tightly contested Player of the Year award, with Swinton duo Ian Mort and Phil Joseph joining Rochdale’s Craig Ashall and Darren Holt of Workington Town.
Both Workington and Swinton are in with a chance in the Young Player of the Year and Coach of the Year categories as well, with Town’s Jack Pedley and Swinton’s Karl Ashall joining Doncaster’s Kyle Kesik as the three most popular selections in the Young Player category.
Coaching duo Gary Charlton and Martin Oglanby of Workington are up against David Seeds, coach of Cumbrian rivals Whitehaven and Steve McCormack from Swinton to win the coaching honours this season.
The winners will be announced at the Co-operative Championships’ annual dinner in Manchester on Tuesday September 27.
The shortlists in full are as follows:
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Hill (Leigh Centurions), Jamie Ellis (Leigh Centurions), Liam Finn (Featherstone Rovers)
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jamie Ellis (Leigh Centurions), Dane Manning (Batley Bulldogs), Jacob Fairbank (Halifax)
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP COACH OF THE YEAR
Daryl Powell (Featherstone Rovers), Karl Harrison (Batley Bulldogs), Ian Millward (Leigh Centurions)
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP ONE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Phil Joseph (Swinton), Ian Mort (Swinton), Craig Ashall (Rochdale), Darren Holt (Workington)
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP ONE YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Karl Ashall (Swinton Lions), Kyle Kesik (Doncaster) Jack Pedley (Workington Town)
CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP ONE COACH OF THE YEAR
Gary Charlton and Martin Oglanby (Workington), David Seeds (Whitehaven) Steve McCormack (Swinton)
The Co-operative Championships Kids Go Free offer returns for this year’s Grand Finals Day (Sunday October 2) meaning that for the first time at a Rugby League Final, children have free admission when accompanied by a paying adult.