Super League renames Grand Final player of match award in honour of Rob Burrow
Former team-mates Kevin Sinfield and Danny McGuire have been invited to present the inaugural Rob Burrow Award.
The player of the match in the men’s Super League Grand Final will be presented with the Rob Burrow Award from this year onwards.
The new prize will replace the Harry Sunderland Trophy, which had been presented to the most influential player in all 26 Grand Finals since 1998 and was previously used in Championship and Premiership finals.
The change was announced on Wednesday by the game’s commercial management board, Rugby League Commercial, and the award’s organisers, the Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association.
He is now a passionate campaigner and fundraiser for people with motor neurone disease – a condition with which he was diagnosed in 2019 – and was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours list.
RLWBA chair Trevor Hunt, who is also serving as the vice-president of the Rugby Football League, said: “After long and serious consideration, we believe that now is the right time to make a change that brings the award recognition into the new era.
“I am certain that rugby league players and supporters will agree that the name of Rob Burrow is a fitting one to recognise.”
The 2024 Betfred Super League season begins on Thursday, February 15 with a derby between Hull and Hull KR.
