Category Sports News

The 2025 Steve Prescott Man of Steel award will be presented to Mikey Lewis from Hull KR, Jai Field from Wigan Warriors, and Jake Connor from Leeds Rhinos.

The three were chosen for the award after securing a play-off spot with their teams, and they were also named to the Super League Dream Team this year.

The 24-year-old Robins half-back, Lewis, won the trophy in 2024, and could become the first team to win it since Paul Sculthorpe did so in 2001 and 2002.

This season, he has won the League Leaders’ Shield and the Challenge Cup.

Full-back Field, 28, helped Wigan, who finished second in the regular season last year, while 30-year-old scrum-half Connor is nominated after a strong campaign with Leeds, who first placed in the top four since 2017.

The award, which was given its name in 2014 in honor of the late Steve Prescott, has been in existence since 1977 when Leeds hooker David Ward won the inaugural award.

Following a selection process where a panel of former players used a voting system to determine the trio’s shortlistings this year, players were chosen.

Lewis’ nomination comes as his career is on the ups and running, continuing his impressive career that won him the Man of Steel award for the first time in 2024 and becoming the first KR player to do so since Gavin Miller in 1986.

He made his England debut against Tonga in the upcoming Ashes Test series in October and November, and he also looks set to start against his country in the upcoming Ashes Test series against Australia.

Field is chosen in the shortlist after a successful campaign for Wigan, scoring very close to a try from 27 games so far in 2025.

In the second play-off eliminator of 2025, Connor’s Leeds Rhinos team will take on St Helens on Saturday night to kick off his play-off campaign.

In the event that Connor receives the award, he would become the first Leeds player to be named a Man of Steel since Zak Hardaker in 2015.

After receiving a clean sweep of nominations, the Women’s Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield winners will receive the Women of Steel award this year.

The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the end-of-season awards in October, which included Jenna Foubister, Eva Hunter, and Isabel Rowe.

Boris Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, says that due to the pressure that it placed on him both during and after his playing career, he regrets winning at age 17 at Wimbledon.

When he defeated Kevin Curren in 1985, the German became the youngest Wimbledon men’s singles champion ever at the age of 17 years, seven months, and fifteen days later.

Becker won five more Grand Slam titles, including two at Wimbledon, before becoming one of his generation’s greatest players.

However, Becker’s success was frequently overshadowed by a turbulent personal life and repeated financial difficulties.

After serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence for concealing £2.5 million in assets and loans to avoid paying debts, he was released from prison in London in 2023.

It becomes a world sensation whatever you do, wherever you go, or who you talk to.

Some of the most significant papers of tomorrow will use it as the headline. And you’re merely attempting to mature, to find your place in the world.

“When you start a second career, everything is measured by your success at Wimbledon at age 17.” And that significantly altered the course of action.

The 57-year-old author of a book about his time in prison claims he found solace in Djokovic’s Wimbledon success in 2022.

When I watched Djokovic win matches and ultimately defeat Nick Kyrgios, he said, “I was supporting him at the time I was watching him win.”

That ultimately caused me to feel both very emotional and inspirational. I’m in one of the worst prisons in the world, along with my brother Novak, and he’s there. Thus, it puts perspective on life.

Following Becker’s release, he was taken away from the United Kingdom.

I felt too at ease. I was spending too much. Nobody told me that anything was possible. In retrospect, he said, “that’s the recipe for disaster.”

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin said after defeat by Dundee United he needs to “find answers quickly” to arrest an alarming start to the season.

The club are rooted to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership after four defeats in five games, all without scoring a goal.

Add to that a meek League Cup exit against Motherwell and some fans are already starting to turn against their Scottish Cup-winning manager.

With a re-match with impressive Motherwell at Fir Park up next on Saturday, Thelin needs solutions to fix his ailing side.

Thelin has stuck rigidly to a 4-2-3-1 system since arriving in Scotland last summer, except for one famous exception.

The Swede switched to a 5-3-2 for the Scottish Cup final against Celtic, succesfully stymying Brendan Rodgers’ side before triumphing on penalties.

There has been absolutely no sign Thelin is thinking of going with that formation again, but could it help?

Having another striker to support Kevin Nisbet might spark their stilted attack into life, because they have scored the fewest goals of any side to have played in the Premiership this season and last.

Given Aberdeen’s recruitment of wingers and their importance to Thelin, 4-4-2 might be a more likely option to change it up.

Or even just playing a more traditional 4-3-3 to get more midfielders further forward and reduce the reliance on a number 10.

Former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller, though, feels it is unlikely Thelin will mix things up in that way.

“That [formation] is his identity,” he said on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound.

“What he needs to do, and I think what he will do, is stick with it and try to get the right personnel in there. I don’t tink he has [got the right personnel].

Many observers believe the heart of Aberdeen’s problems are coming from midfield.

Sivert Heltne Nilsen was back in the starting XI to play Dundee United, and is often the focus of supporters’ ire.

He is viewed as Thelin’s key lieutenant, because of his experience and knowledge of the manager’s methods from their time at Elfsborg.

However, with Aberdeen’s performances lacking intensity – a point Thelin has repeatedly made – and the fact they have lost more challenges than any other side since the start of last season, Nilsen’s selection is a point of serious contention.

That is principally due to the 33-year-old’s lack of mobility across the pitch.

Thelin has insisted Nilsen sets standards in training, but whether it is a lack of legs, poor distances between players, or low confidence, Aberdeen’s midfield is toiling.

Thelin has only started both Nilsen and Shinnie in midfield twice this season, but at least one of them has been in the middle of the pitch for every game, except the home defeat by Falkirk.

That performance was arguably Aberdeen’s most encouraging in attack in the league, before Nicky Devlin was sent off and they slipped to defeat.

“I can understand why he’s played Sivert Nilsen in there and why he has played Shinnie in there,” Miller added on Sportsound.

“But they are the wrong side of 30 and it’s looking like they need more energy in that area. I didn’t see an awful lot of energy or creativity.”

The problem for Thelin is, apart from 33-year-old Stuart Armstrong, whom he singled out for praise at Tannadice, others are not exactly putting their hand up and demanding to be picked when they do get a chance.

Dante Polvara has performed better when coming off the bench, while Leighton Clarkson – Aberdeen’s most creative midfielder – was left out altogether and has started two games all season.

Thelin has spoken about the need for “intensity” before just about every game this season, yet when his team take to the pitch there is a distinct lack of it.

The Swede used the words “tense” and “stiff” to describe the 2-0 loss to United.

That is understandable amid fan anger and pressure amid a run of five league wins in 32 games, but that is not the only explanation.

Aberdeen have brought in 24 players in the last three transfer windows and have made more changes to their starting line-up in the Premiership than anyone other than Celtic or Rangers since the start of last season.

It is clear, then, Thelin is still getting to grips with his best team, and as a result there have been no reliable combinations formed all over the pitch.

Only Shinnie and Topi Keskinen have started more than three quarters of Thelin’s league games, while Slobodan Rubezic is the centre-back with the most Premiership starts (20) despite being loaned out in February and subsequently departing.

The team are crying out for consistency and stability across the pitch to ease help settle the tension.

Thelin says he needs to find the solutions that other managers, such as his opposite number on Saturday Jens Berthel Askou, have found in short order.

And with pressure from fans ratcheting up with every defeat, time is against him.

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael says that giving them three points from the abandoned Championship game against Ipswich Town would be the “fairest thing to do”.

Ismael’s side were 1-0 up courtesy of Todd Cantwell’s second-half penalty and the Tractor Boys were playing with 10 men after Jacob Greaves was sent off when heavy rain forced the match to be called off.

With the pitch waterlogged, referee Steve Martin took the players off the pitch after 80 minutes and a decision on whether the game will be replayed in full is still to be made by the EFL board.

A decision is likely to be made by the end of this week.

“We’ve got the right to want the three points because it’s the fair thing to do, especially when the opponent is down to 10,” Ismael said in an interview on the club’s YouTube channel.

A match can only be postponed or abandoned with the approval of the referee, authorities, or by the order of the police.

If a Premier League or EFL game is abandoned after kick-off, but before 90 minutes has been played, the fixture will either be:

Ismael said that the decision to postpone the game was out of his hands.

“I never agreed to stop the game. I had no choice because the referee made clear his point that he had to abandon the game,” he added.

“The pitch was unplayable and he said sorry. I never agreed anything because the decision was already made so that is a clear point to make.”

In addition, Ismael said that the current rules are a “grey area” and could put football’s integrity in doubt.

“It’s a generic problem. It’s a deep problem. It’s a grey area and it’s put the integrity of football in danger because everyone can speculate on anything on any game or try to stop any game,” he added.

“Now there’s room for speculation and influence. It’s difficult to know what will be the outcome but everyone has to take the case very seriously because this case will set a precedent.”

In a statement the EFL said both clubs have until 16:00 BST on Wednesday to make any final representations to the league.

Katie Boulter won the China Open and defeated Hailey Baptiste, saying she was relieved to have “a tough couple of months” behind her.

To advance to the second round in Beijing, the British number two defeated the American 7-5, 7-5, and 7-6.

Solana Sierra, a spoiled loser, knocked the 29-year-old out of the second round of Wimbledon, and Marta Kostyuk, a Ukrainian, did the same.

In the final set against Baptiste, she regrouped after a double break and made it a point to win.

“I’ve had a difficult couple of months,” Boulter said.

“I’m really pleased with how I’m now putting myself out there and fighting every single thing.”

Amanda Anisimova, who finished second at the US Open, and Boulter will now have to contend with.

After tweaking her serve, she won the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, but she has had a mixed year.

She was defeated by the United States by 3-6, 6-4, and 6-2 in her next singles match against world number seven Jessica Pegula.

Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Shanghai Masters will be his first since the US Open semi-final defeat.

In the final years of his career, the Serb has stated on numerous occasions that he will cut back on his time to work out to protect his body.

The 38-year-old reached the Shanghai final last year, but Jannik Sinner, who was then the world’s number one, lost.

Nathan Broadhead, a club record signing, was “delighted” to break the club’s mark and look forward to playing in the Championship.

In Tuesday’s 2-0 EFL Cup third-round victory over Reading, Broadhead added his second goal for Wrexham since signing from Ipswich Town in August.

The 27-year-old forward struggled with a calf injury in the first few weeks of the season, but he is now looking to improve.

“I’m just thrilled to score and advance to the next round,” said Broadhead.

“I just can’t wait to get my sharpness back and play in the championship,” he said.

I’m adjusting to new players and different systems playing.

“It gave me a little time to unwind, move all of my belongings, and everything in between,” I said.

Before beginning his professional career with Everton, the boy-born Broadhead was a boy at Wrexham’s academy.

He made an endearing commitment to Ipswich in 2023 and spent the last season playing for the Premier League with Wrexham.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Hollywood partners behind Wrexham, have spoken of their goals to advance to the top of English football.

“I came here for that reason, and I hope we can accomplish that,” Broadhead continued.

The owners’ intention is to achieve that. I can see the vision, so I’m hoping to be there.

You notice the players entering,” You’re bringing in top-notch players from the Championship, which only serves to reinforce your intentions.

That’s the project, exactly what we’re working on.

Along with Wales team-mates Danny Ward and Kieffer Moore, Broadhead was one of the 13 players who signed for Wrexham over the summer.

With three games left, Wales currently leads Group J, and Broadhead is enjoying his role under the guidance of manager Craig Bellamy.

He’s a good manager, and I’m enjoying working with him, according to Broadhead.

I’m typically ranked 10 in his system, which is a little different from ours, but I’m adaptable.

For the first time in the competition, three Welsh clubs have advanced to the last 16 after Wrexham defeated Reading 2-0 at the Stok Cae Ras.

Before the Reading game, Wrexham made its fourth appearance in the 1977-78 season aware of this fact.

In truth, the manager said to us before training yesterday, and it just demonstrates where the club is going, according to Broadhead.

“We’ve made history tonight, and we’re hoping we’ll make more.”