BLOCKBUSTING Giants winger Jermaine McGillvary has wasted little time creating a positive Super League XVI impression.
The 22-year-old Huddersfield-born back was in outstanding form as the Giants opened their 2011 campaign with an excellent 28-18 triumph over highly-rated Warrington Wolves in Cardiff last Saturday.
It was an individual performance that has made the rugby league world sit up and take note, with McGillvary having immediately been made the 8/1 favourite by bookmakers William Hill to win the highly-prestigious Albert Goldthorpe Rookie of the Year award.
It was first presented in 2008 to Leeds forward Luke Burgess, with Wigan’s Sam Tomkins collecting the medal the following season and Liam Watts of Hull KR named top rookie in 2010.
The rookie award is presented at the same time as the Albert Goldthorpe Medal to the player voted by the League Express newspaper as the top Super League performer in a season, and in 2008 it was won by Giants scrum half Danny Brough, who was at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at the time.
