Two down, one to go.
After being named the Giants Player of the Year, club captain Danny Brough this week collected the Albert Goldthorpe Medal at a glittering awards ceremony at Headingley.
And on Monday week, the inspirational goalkicking half-back could collect the biggest individual prize of them all – the prestigious Super League Man of Steel.
Having been shortlisted for the award along with Leeds’ Jamie Peacock and Wigan’s Sean O’Loughlin, there’s obviously a great chance the 30-year-old will become the second Giant to claim the honour, following in the footsteps of Brett Hodgson in 2009.
And it’s possible the fact he has just won the Goldthorpe Medal for a second time – he won it during his time at Wakefield in 2008 – could influence the final decision on who takes the Man of Steel trophy back home.
The Goldthorpe award is presented to the player voted the most consistent during a Super League campaign.
A total of one, two or three points are awarded by reporters from League Express newspapers for every match played during the season, with the three points going to the top performer.
And by the end of round 27, Brough had scored 39 points, with Castleford’s Rangi Chase second on 33.
Brough has always made it clear picking up individual awards was never a priority when the season got under way.
But he was still delighted to collect the Goldthorpe Medal for a second time, believing it was further recognition for what the Giants have been doing as a team.
“Awards like this are special, and it was an honour to receive it,” he said.
“I never set out at the start of a season to win things like this, all I think about is trying to do my best to help the team win trophies.
“But I do appreciate I must be doing something right for the team if I pick up the individual awards. That’s important to me.”
The Goldthorpe Medal was presented to him by League Express managing editor Martyn Sadler, who also believes Brough would be a very worthy Man of Steel winner.
“It was a great privilege to be able to present Danny Brough with the Albert Goldthorpe Medal,” said Sadler.
“I firmly believe he has been the outstanding player in Super League this season, and he is a very worthy winner of an award that commemorates one of the early superstars of rugby league in Albert Goldthorpe.
“Danny has had an outstanding season in leading the Giants to the League Leaders’ Shield, and now the club is only one game away from Old Trafford.
“I was particularly pleased to present the solid gold medal to him in a week that has seen him enter the record books so resoundingly for the Giants by breaking two long-standing individual season records at the club.
“In the big win over Hull, he broke the record for the number of goals in a season, which had been held by Ben Gronow since the 1919-20 season, and for points in a season, which had been held by Pat Devery since the 1952-53 season.
“When we created the Albert Goldthorpe Medal we tried to introduce an award that explicitly recognises a player’s consistent form throughout the 27 rounds of Super League, with a maximum of three points being awarded to the outstanding player in every Super League match by our reporters covering the game.
“Danny earned the maximum three points in nine of the Giants’ 27 matches in the Super League season, which demonstrates his outstanding contribution to their success, which may yet culminate in victory in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 5.
“I am certain no-one will doubt he is a deserved winner of the Goldthorpe Medal, and I’m certain that he would also be a very worthy winner of the Super League Man of Steel award, for which he has been shortlisted.
“I’m sure one of the major factors in his success has been the influence of Giants coach Paul Anderson, whose masterstroke was to appoint Danny as the club captain towards the end of the 2012 season. To say he has shone in that role is something of an understatement.
“Since then, Danny has proved himself to be a natural leader and organiser on the pitch, and has shown a tremendous maturity in that role.
“My only regret is that we won’t see him playing for England in the World Cup later this year, although I’m sure Scotland will benefit enormously from his presence for them, and who knows what they may also achieve with Danny at the helm.”
Albert Goldthorpe Medal Final Table 2013: Danny Brough 39, Rangi Chase (Castleford) 33, Michael Dobson (Hull KR) 22, Sam Tomkins (Wigan) 19, Stefan Ratchford (Warrington) 19, Jarrod Sammut (Bradford) 19, Tim Smith (Wakefield) 17, Leon Pryce (Catalan) 17, Mickey Higham (Warrington) 17, Liam Farrell (Wigan) 16, Jon Wilkin (St Helens) 16.
