Mikey Lewis Named as 2024 Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association Player of the Year

Mikey Lewis is the 2024 Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association Player of the Year.

The Hull KR half-back won 58% of the vote, giving him a commanding lead over Bevan French, the Wigan Warriors star who was the 2020 winner.

Salford Red Devils half-back Marc Sneyd was third in the voting, and there were also votes for French’s Wigan team-mate Luke Thompson, the Leigh Leopards forward Kai O’Donnell, and Oli Leyland of London Broncos.

Lewis is the first Hull KR player to win the award since it was introduced in the first Super League season in 1996, when it was won by the St Helens and Samoa prop Apollo Perelini.

Lachlan Lam of Leigh Leopards was last year’s winner, following in the footsteps of his father and current Leigh coach Adrian who won it as a Wigan player in 2002.

Lewis is the first English winner since Sam Tomkins in 2021 - when the Catalans Dragons full-back became the first player to win the award three times - and the first Yorkshireman to win the award since the Castleford Tigers half-back Luke Gale in 2017.

Trevor Hunt, the Chair of the RLWBA, said:

“Congratulations to Mikey Lewis, who has been a rising star of the Super League for a few seasons but has taken his performances to another level this year as Hull KR have established themselves as genuine challengers for a first appearance in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.

“The list of former winners shows that our members have always appreciated the performances of players who could get the crowd to the edge of their seats with pure brilliance.

“Mikey very much fits into that category, and the exciting thing for Hull KR and the sport is that he’s still only 23, so we’ve got many more years to enjoy his performances for club and country.”

Lewis and Hull KR will join the 2024 Betfred Super League Play-Offs at the Semi Final stage on Friday night at Sewell Group Craven Park, having earned home advantage and a bye through this weekend’s Eliminators as their reward for finishing second in the table.

They will host Warrington Wolves, who beat St Helens 23-22 in golden point extra time in a thrilling second Eliminator on Saturday.

Wigan Warriors, who won the League Leaders Shield for the second consecutive season, also have a home Semi Final after a week off, hosting local rivals Leigh Leopards at The Brick Community Stadium next Saturday (530pm) after the Leopards continued their late-season surge with a 14-6 Eliminator win at Salford on Friday.