It’s the Betfred Super League awards season and the make-up of these achievements got me thinking recently about the players who have already been decorated, and could easily be decorated again, before England head coach Shaun Wane picks his England team for the upcoming test series against World Cup finalists Samoa.

So far this year Salford talisman Marc Sneyd has picked up the Albert Goldthorpe Medal thanks to his consistent performances for the much unfancied Red Devils, in a season that saw them reach the Top 4 in the final table, before they fell heartbreakingly short against a much rejuvenated and bang in form Leigh Leopards.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Hull KR maverick Mikey Lewis has put in a serious stint, scoring and creating tries for the sheer fun of it, bamboozling defenceafter defence and walked off with the Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association Player of the Year award with no less than 58% of the vote all to himself, including my vote.

Since they carried off those awards, both Sneyd and Lewis have now also made it onto the shortlist for the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award, merely confirming their status as the two best, most consistent half backs in the Betfred Super League, with Lewis being the top try-scoring half back this season and Sneyd, almost inevitably, being the top goal-kicker of all this season, in fact I believe it’s very fair to say that they have absolutely torn Super League a new proverbial backside throughout this season, as proved by their personal stats and the awards they have gathered so far and could still gather, unless Australian fullback Matt Dufty spoils the coronation of either of them.

The whole point of the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award is to celebrate the most influential player in the entire league, it is a mark of recognition that rewards sheer hard work, along with outstanding talent which, I believe must go to Mikey Lewis for his outstanding performances this season, they were after all, the reason I voted for him in the RLWBA Player of the Year award, because I believe he has been the best, most consistent player of all that I have seen this season from the various press boxes I inhabit during a season, and there can surely be no argument about that.

Earlier this year as well, he gained his 3rd senior England cap in a waste of time, so called test match as England wiped the floor with France on their home territory in Toulouse by 40-8, when certain personnel were unavailable, adding to his two test caps that he earned against Tonga last year, so, all things considered, you would have to think that Mikey Lewis should be a shoe in for Shaun Wane as the national side go looking for revenge against a team who broke their hearts in such dramatic circumstances in the last World Cup semi-final.

You would also have to consider that Marc Sneyd, with his exceptional kicking game and his goal kicking, armed with the consistency he has shown all season and the accolades he has collected along the way, should be the absolute certainty to be half back partner to Lewis in the upcoming test series, alas we all know that the Lewis/Sneyd half back partnership for England is nothing more than a pipe-dream, as their outstanding, award winning ability will be made to count for nothing when it comes to the international scene, and undoubtedly they won’t be the only ones left feeling hard done by.

The reason Sneyd and Lewis almost certainly won’t play against Samoa is that current England coach Shaun Wane will, of course, pick his mates George Williams and Harry Smith, he does it every time when he gets the opportunity and one can only think that, should Williams and Smith be available, they will duly be selected ahead of the award-winning Sneydand Lewis, without even a 2nd thought from the former WiganWarriors coach, unfortunately it is that clear cut, the rest of rugby league talks about Super League being a closed shop, however, if you look at the selections by Wane for England, the international team is even more of a closed shop, so much so that two blokes who are not, and have not been anywhere near any personal awards, will undoubtedly be picked before the two best, most consistent, award-winning halves in the entire league, not because they are the players in the best form, as attested by their absence from any awards and the Super League Dream Team, but simply because they are best mates with the current international coach.

Don’t get me wrong, Williams and Smith have both been there and done it, both winning trophies and playing in major finals and internationals, including the World Cup, but when Shaun Wane was originally employed as England head coach, he said himself that players would be picked on current formand yet he has since rendered that a hollow promise by regularly picking his mates, as opposed to those who, perish the thought, maybe deserve the international caps more than they do.

I fully expect Mikey Lewis to win the Steve Prescott Man of Steel award, because he has been the best, most influential player in the whole Betfred Super League season, but don’t be surprised when he and his closest competition in the halves, are both left out of the match-day team when it comes to playing Samoa, simply because they ain’t best mates of the coach.

Written by Ian Judson (site contributor & Hull FC fan)