From Super League veterans to esteemed internationals, being crowned Super League Young Player of the year award is often the first key sign that a player will go on to have a good career.
St Helens wonderkid Harry Robertson picked up the trophy in 2025, bursting onto the scene and featuring consistently at centre, scoring 12 tries and bagging five assists across the year.
Beating Wigan’s Junior Nsemba, Huddersfield’s George Flanagan Jr and Hull FC’s Lewis Martin to the title, he quickly became one of the most talked-about youngsters in the game, and if he continues to develop at his current rate, will be pushing for a place in the international side for the World Cup.
Robertson joins a list of illustrious players to have also achieved that award, and we have taken a look back at the every winner of the award since 2010 to see where they are now, and how their career panned out.
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.
A look back at the Super League Young Players of the Year winners since 2010
2024: Junior Nsemba
After winning the trophy for the first time in 2024, Nsemba was nominated again last season, but wasn’t victori0us a second time around. The back-rower was given his England debut at the end of that year, as he faced Samoa at Headingley.
2023: Josh Thewlis
The Warrington winger has become a first-team regular, and in Matty Ashton’s absence has stepped up to become an experienced member of the back line. He opened the scoring in last year’s Challenge Cup Final, but that wouldn’t be enough at the Wolves came up short at Wembley.
2021 and 2022: Jack Welsby
The St Helens full-back is an England regular, and despite being dropped for the last two Ashes tests, will no doubt be favourite for the number one jersey at the end of the year.
Welsby is one of two platers to win the award back to back, and was influential in Grand Final wins in each of his award-winning years.
2020: Harry Newman
During the covid-impacted year, the award went to Harry Newman, who cemented his place in the Leeds side. Injury cut short the Perth Bears-bound man’s campaign that season, as he suffered a double leg break away at Hull KR.
2019: Matty Lees
The Saints stalwart is celebrating a testimonial year in 2026, and will have a pre-season game against Castleford Tigers as part of the celebrations. Since his debut in 2017, Lees is approaching 200 appearances for the Red Vee, and will hit that landmark in the early part of the upcoming campaign.
2018: Jake Trueman
The now-Wakefield half-back won the award whilst at Castleford Tigers, but since then has been on the move to Hull FC and now Trinity, where he featured 18 times under Daryl Powell.
2017: Oliver Gildart
The now-Hull KR centre won the award whilst at Wigan, and after returning from the NRL, has come back to Super League in top form.
In his award-winning year, he crossed for 14 tries in 20 matches, forming a lethal edge partnership with current Rovers teammate Joe Burgess.
2016: Tom Johnstone
The Wakefield flyer crossed for 20 tries in 25 matches in 2016, earning him the individual milestone. Injury has hampered the majority of his career, but after a solid 2025 campaign that ended in an Ashes call-up, Johnstone looks to have a new lease of life after returning to Trinity from Catalans Dragons at the start of last year.
2015: George Williams
The Warrington man burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old at Wigan in 2013, and has made 338 senior appearances overall. Since he was crowned the winner, he has featured in two World Cups and has amassed 23 England caps in total.
He has also spent time in the NRL with Canberra Raiders, and a return down under is on the cards, after being tipped to join the Dolphins for 2027.
2014: Daryl Clark
Scooping both the Young Player of the Year and the Man of Steel award in the same season, Clark’s 2014 campaign was one he will remember for a long time.
In what would be his final year at Castleford Tigers, he guided his side to a Challenge Cup Final and a play-off place, and earned his England debut off the back of it.
He is now a consistent Super League hooker and an international regular. He will be hoping to continue that after recently signing a new deal at St Helens to keep him at the club until the end of 2027.
2013: Ben Crooks
The first player on the list to not be still playing in Super League, Crooks now features for Championship side Halifax, and has seen a slight positional switch ahead of 2026 as he moves from centre to the back row.
In 2013, he represented Hull FC, and scored 20 tries in 22 matches. Moves to Castleford, Leigh, Hull KR and Keighley came later in his career, and he also spent a year in Australia, playing for the Wentworthville Magpies in 2015.
2012: Zak Hardaker
The now-Hull FC man featured in every game for Leeds in 2012, and was part of the side’s Grand Final triumph over Warrington Wolves at the end of the campaign.
He would go on to win the Man of Steel award in 2015, before a short-term move to the NRL came in 2016 with Penrith Panthers. Upon return, he was a key man for Castleford in their 2017 campaign, before off-field issues saw him exit the club.
Stints at Wigan, Leeds and Leigh followed, before he joined the Black and Whites ahead of 2025, where he has looked back to his best.
2011: Jonny Lomax
The veteran St Helens playmaker has been a one-club man his whole career, and has 378 appearances to his name.
George Whitby is the exciting halves prospect currently at the club, but that was once Lomax, who began his career in 2009, and became a first-team regular two seasons later.
In his time as a Saint, he has won, five Grand Finals, a Challenge Cup and a World Club Challenge, as well as picking up 15 appearances for his nation.
2010: Sam Tomkins
The recently-retired full-back was the first player to win the award back-to-back, after also scooping the trophy in 2009.
As a youngster, Tomkins was one of the most exciting players England had produced, and he certainly backed that up as his career progressed. The Wigan legend racked up over 200 appearances across two stints, before joining Catalans in 2019 to round off his career.
In the seven seasons he spent at the Dragons, he was crowned Man of Steel, won a League Leaders Shield and helped them to two Grand Final appearances.
