# Lance Todd Trophy

The Lance Todd Trophy is a trophy in rugby league, awarded to man of the match in the annual Challenge Cup Final.
Introduced in 1945–46, the trophy was named in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War. After Todd's death a fund, the Lance Todd memorial Trophy Fund, was established by Australian journalist and rugby league official Harry Sunderland. The trophy's winner is selected by the members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the game. Until 1957 there was no permanent trophy, instead the winner was given a cash prize with which to buy themselves a memento. In 1956 the Red Devils Association, the official body representing ex-Salford players, decided to pay for a permanent trophy to be awarded to the winner and the first recipient of the new trophy was Jeff Stevenson in 1957. The trophy is presented at a celebratory dinner at the Salford Community Stadium, home of the Salford Red Devils. As of 2023, no Salford player has won this award.
The first winner of the trophy was Wakefield Trinity Centre, Billy Stott in 1945–46. St. Helens' Sean Long made history in 2006 becoming the first player to win the Lance Todd Trophy three times, having won in 2001 and 2004. Five players have won the trophy twice: Warrington's Gerry Helme in 1949–50 and 1953–54; Wigan's Andy Gregory in 1987–88 and 1989–90; and Martin Offiah in 1991–92 and 1993–94; St. Helens' Paul Wellens in 2007 (jointly) and 2008; Hull FC's Marc Sneyd in 2016 and 2017. Sneyd and Wellens are the only players to win the award in consecutive finals.
Halifax's former Australian international fullback Graham Eadie and Wigan's 1984-85 Australian import stand-off Brett Kenny are the only players to win both the Lance Todd Trophy and the Clive Churchill Medal as the player of the match in the Sydney Premiership Grand Final. Eadie won the Lance Todd in 1986–87 and was (retrospectively) twice awarded the Churchill after Manly-Warringah's premiership wins in 1976 and 1978 while 1984–85 trophy winner Kenny was retrospectively awarded the Churchill for Parramatta's Grand Final wins in 1982 and 1983.
The first player to win the trophy on the losing side was Frank Whitcombe of Bradford Northern in the 1947–48 final against Wigan; he was also the first forward to win the award. Robbie Paul, Gary Connolly, Kevin Sinfield, Niall Evalds and Chris McQueen have all won the award since 1996, despite each of them finishing on the losing side.
The youngest player to win the trophy was Huddersfield's Peter Ramsden who won it on his 19th birthday in 1952–53.
The trophy has been shared on two occasions, first in 1964–65 by Ray Ashby (Wigan) and Brian Gabbitas (Hunslet), and most recently in 2007 by Paul Wellens (St Helens) and Leon Pryce (Catalans Dragons).

## Winners

| Season | Recipient | Team | Position |
| 1945–46 | Billy Stott | Wakefield Trinity | Centre |
| 1946–47 | Willie Davies | Bradford Northern | Stand-off |
| 1947–48 | Frank Whitcombe † | Bradford Northern | Prop |
| 1948–49 | Ernest Ward | Bradford Northern | Centre |
| 1949–50 | Gerry Helme | Warrington Wolves | Scrum-half |
| 1950–51 | Cec Mountford | Wigan Warriors | Stand-off |
| 1951–52 | Billy Ivison | Workington Town | Loose forward |
| 1952–53 | Peter Ramsden | Huddersfield Giants | Stand-off |
| 1953–54 | Gerry Helme | Warrington Wolves | Scrum-half |
| 1954–55 | Jack Grundy | Barrow Raiders | Second-row |
| 1955–56 | Alan Prescott | St Helens | Prop |
| 1956–57 | Jeff Stevenson | Leeds Rhinos | Scrum-half |
| 1957–58 | Rees Thomas | Wigan Warriors | Scrum-half |
| 1958–59 | Brian McTigue | Wigan Warriors | Second-row |
| 1959–60 | Tommy Harris † | Hull F.C. | Hooker |
| 1960–61 | Dick Huddart | St Helens | Second-row |
| 1961–62 | Neil Fox | Wakefield Trinity | Centre |
| 1962–63 | Harold Poynton | Wakefield Trinity | Stand-off |
| 1963–64 | Frank Collier | Widnes Vikings | Prop |
| 1964–65 | Ray Ashby | Wigan Warriors | Fullback |
| 1964–65 | Brian Gabbitas † | Hunslet | Stand-off |
| 1965–66 | Len Killeen | St Helens | Wing |
| 1966–67 | Carl Dooler | Featherstone Rovers | Scrum-half |
| 1967–68 | Don Fox † | Wakefield Trinity | Prop |
| 1968–69 | Mal Reilly | Castleford Tigers | Loose forward |
| 1969–70 | Bill Kirkbride | Castleford Tigers | Second-row |
| 1970–71 | Alex Murphy | Leigh Centurions | Scrum-half |
| 1971–72 | Kel Coslett | St Helens | Loose forward |
| 1972–73 | Steve Nash | Featherstone Rovers | Scrum-half |
| 1973–74 | Derek Whitehead | Warrington Wolves | Fullback |
| 1974–75 | Ray Dutton | Widnes Vikings | Fullback |
| 1975–76 | Geoff Pimblett | St Helens | Fullback |
| 1976–77 | Steve Pitchford | Leeds Rhinos | Prop |
| 1977–78 | George Nicholls † | St Helens | Prop |
| 1978–79 | David Topliss † | Wakefield Trinity | Stand-off |
| 1979–80 | Brian Lockwood | Hull Kingston Rovers | Prop |
| 1980–81 | Mick Burke | Widnes Vikings | Fullback |
| 1981–82 | Eddie Cunningham † | Widnes Vikings | Centre |
| 1982–83 | David Hobbs | Featherstone Rovers | Second-row |
| 1983–84 | Joe Lydon | Widnes Vikings | Centre |
| 1984–85 | Brett Kenny | Wigan Warriors | Stand-off |
| 1985–86 | Bob Beardmore | Castleford Tigers | Scrum-half |
| 1986–87 | Graham Eadie | Halifax | Fullback |
| 1987–88 | Andy Gregory | Wigan Warriors | Scrum-half |
| 1988–89 | Ellery Hanley | Wigan Warriors | Loose forward |
| 1989–90 | Andy Gregory | Wigan Warriors | Fullback |
| 1990–91 | Denis Betts | Wigan Warriors | Second-row |
| 1991–92 | Martin Offiah | Wigan Warriors | Wing |
| 1992–93 | Dean Bell | Wigan Warriors | Loose forward |
| 1993–94 | Martin Offiah | Wigan Warriors | Wing |
| 1994–95 | Jason Robinson | Wigan Warriors | Wing |
| 1996 | Robbie Paul† | Bradford Bulls | Scrum-half |
| 1997 | Tommy Martyn | St Helens | Stand-off |
| 1998 | Mark Aston | Sheffield Eagles | Scrum-half |
| 1999 | Leroy Rivett | Leeds Rhinos | Wing |
| 2000 | Henry Paul | Bradford Bulls | Stand-off |
| 2001 | Sean Long | St Helens | Stand-off |
| 2002 | Kris Radlinski | Wigan Warriors | Fullback |
| 2003 | Gary Connolly † | Leeds Rhinos | Fullback |
| 2004 | Sean Long | St Helens | Stand-off |
| 2005 | Kevin Sinfield † | Leeds Rhinos | Loose forward |
| 2006 | Sean Long | St Helens | Scrum-half |
| 2007 | Paul Wellens | St Helens | Fullback |
| 2007 | Leon Pryce | St Helens | Stand-off |
| 2008 | Paul Wellens | St Helens | Fullback |
| 2009 | Michael Monaghan | Warrington Wolves | Hooker |
| 2010 | Lee Briers | Warrington Wolves | Stand-off |
| 2011 | Jeff Lima | Wigan Warriors | Prop |
| 2012 | Brett Hodgson | Warrington Wolves | Fullback |
| 2013 | Matty Smith | Wigan Warriors | Scrum-half |
| 2014 | Ryan Hall | Leeds Rhinos | Wing |
| 2015 | Tom Briscoe | Leeds Rhinos | Wing |
| 2016 | Marc Sneyd | Hull F.C. | Scrum-half |
| 2017 | Marc Sneyd | Hull F.C. | Scrum-half |
| 2018 | Tony Gigot | Catalans Dragons | Fullback |
| 2019 | Daryl Clark | Warrington Wolves | Hooker |
| 2020 | Richie Myler | Leeds Rhinos | Fullback |
| 2021 | Niall Evalds † | Castleford Tigers | Fullback |
| 2022 | Chris McQueen † | Huddersfield Giants | Second-row |
| 2023 | Lachlan Lam | Leigh Leopards | Scrum-half |
| 2024 | Bevan French | Wigan Warriors | Stand-off |
† = Won Lance Todd Trophy whilst on losing team

### Awards by club

| Club | Number of winners |
| Barrow Raiders | 1 |
| Bradford Bulls | 4 |
| Castleford Tigers | 4 |
| Catalans Dragons | 2 |
| Featherstone Rovers | 3 |
| Halifax | 1 |
| Hunslet | 1 |
| Hull F.C. | 3 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | 1 |
| Huddersfield Giants | 4 |
| Leeds Rhinos | 8 |
| Leigh Leopards | 2 |
| Sheffield Eagles | 1 |
| St Helens | 12 |
| Wakefield Trinity | 4 |
| Warrington Wolves | 7 |
| Widnes Vikings | 5 |
| Wigan Warriors | 18 |
| Workington Town | 1 |

### Winners by playing position

| Position | Number of winners |
| Centre | 5 |
| Fullback | 15 |
| Hooker | 3 |
| Loose forward | 6 |
| Prop | 8 |
| Scrum-half | 16 |
| Second-row | 7 |
| Stand-off | 14 |
| Wing | 7 |