Danny Brough is the 2013 Super League Man of Steel – and in a massive double coup for the Giants, Paul Anderson was named Coach of the Year.
The two men were at the heart of Huddersfield’s first top-of-the-table finish for 81 years as the Giants claimed the Super League Leaders’ Shield for the first time.
Both awards were presented at a gala event at Old Trafford cricket ground last night, with 30-year-old Brough picking up the sport’s most coveted individual award after being deemed the player to have made the greatest impact on the 2013 season.
He secured the award following a two-part selection process incorporating a ballot of every Super League player before the final decision was made by a specially convened five-man Man of Steel selection panel.
The inspirational goal-kicking half-back took the honour ahead of Wigan Warriors captain Sean O’Loughlin and Leeds Rhinos prop Jamie Peacock.
It rounded off a remarkable individual season for the Scotland World Cup captain, who in the past two weeks also picked up the Albert Goldthorpe Super League Player of the Season medal and the RL Writers Association Player of the Year award.
All three awards were widely anticipated, as was the Coach of the Year Award to Anderson – with his fellow coaches voting him their winner.
There was also an Outstanding Contribution award presented to retiring Giants prop and new Huddersfield staff coach Stuart Fielden to honour the former Great Britain star’s service to the sport over the past 15 years.
However, the Giants missed out on the Club of the Year, with St Helens winning in recognition of continued success in the area of youth development.
