Huddersfield Giants captain Danny Brough will go into tonight’s sudden-death home play-off clash against Hull FC having just become the first player to collect the Albert Goldthorpe Medal for the second time – and after being nominated for the Man of Steel.
And in another coup for the newly-crowned Super League minor champions, Huddersfield were named the Albert Goldthorpe Team of the Year for finishing top of the table for the first time in 81 years.
Brough – who is up for Man of Steel along with Jamie Peacock and Sean O’Loughlin (result announced on September 30) – was presented with the solid gold Goldthorpe Medal and a cheque for £2,000 at a special awards ceremony at Headingley yesterday, while Hull FC winger Tom Lineham received the solid silver Goldthorpe Rookie of the Year Medal and a cheque for £500.
Brough was the inaugural Goldthorpe winner in 2008, when he played for Wakefield, with his award presented by Martyn Sadler, the Chairman of League Publications Limited, and the Managing Editor of Rugby League Express.
“Danny Brough has had an outstanding season in leading the Giants to the League Leaders' Shield, and the award of the Albert Goldthorpe Medal recognises his consistent form throughout the 27 rounds of Super League,” he said.
“Danny earned the maximum three points in nine of the Giants’ 27 matches in the Super League season, which demonstrates his contribution to their season.”
The Albert Goldthorpe Medal was created by Rugby League Express in 2008 to honour leading players in Super League each year, and to link RL’s modern stars with its proud history.
The medal is named after a man who was English RLs first superstar, more than 100 years ago.
He was the subject of one of the most iconic photographs in the history of the game, when he was pictured holding all four Cups when he captained the great Hunslet team of the 1907-8 season.
Each week, after every Super League game in the regular season, the Rugby League Express match report writer awards medal points to the three players who, in the opinion of the writer, were the ‘best and fairest’ players in that game. Three, two and one points were awarded respectively, with leading Super League Man of Steel contender Brough coming out on top with two games to spare.
