Toulouse, Halifax and Bradford dominate award nominations

Drew Darbyshire

The nominations for the 2018 Championship and League 1 awards have been confirmed.

In the Championship, Halifax head coach Richard Marshall, who won the award in 2015 is shortlisted alongside London Broncos’ Danny Ward in his first year as head coach and Sylvain Houles of Toulouse Olympique. All three coaches successfully led their sides in to The Qualifiers.

The four-man shortlist for this year’s Player of the Year award features two Toulouse players in full-back Mark Kheirallah and Johnathon Ford, who won the League 1 Player of the Year award in 2016, alongside Halifax captain Scott Murrell and Luke Briscoe of Featherstone Rovers.

Brandon Moore of Halifax is nominated for the Young Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year. Sheffield Eagles’ Matty Costello and Harry Newman of Featherstone Rovers are also named in the three-man shortlist.

In League 1, Leon Pryce of Workington Town is shortlisted in his first year as head coach, alongside Bradford Bulls’ John Kear and James Ford of York City Knights, who was also shortlisted in 2017.

York winger Ben Cockayne and Connor Robinson are included in the four-man shortlist for the League 1 Player of the Year award, alongside Sean Penkywicz of Workington Town and Bradford half-back Dane Chisholm.

The League 1 Young Player of the Year shortlist features two players from the Bulls. Winger Ethan Ryan and stand-off Brandon Pickersgill are nominated alongside York winger Judah Mazive.

Championship Player of the Year: Luke Briscoe (Featherstone Rovers), Scott Murrell (Halifax RLFC), Mark Kheirallah (Toulouse Olympique XIII), Johnathon Ford (Toulouse Olympique XIII)

Championship Coach of the Year: Danny Ward (London Broncos), Richard Marshall (Halifax RLFC), Sylvain Houles (Toulouse Olympique XIII)

Championship Young Player of the Year: Harry Newman (Featherstone Rovers), Brandon Moore (Halifax RLFC), Matty Costello (Sheffield Eagles)

League 1 Player of the Year: Ben Cockayne (York City Knights), Connor Robinson (York City Knights), Dane Chisholm (Bradford Bulls) and Sean Penkywicz (Workington Town).

League 1 Coach of the Year: James Ford (York City Knights), John Kear (Bradford Bulls), Leon Pryce (Workington Town)

League 1 Young Player of the Year: Brandon Pickersgill (Bradford Bulls), Ethan Ryan (Bradford Bulls) and Judah Mazive (York City Knights)

The winners will be announced at the 2018 Betfred Championship and League 1 annual dinner in Manchester on Tuesday, September 25.