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 THE
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE MEDAL
Wakefield's Danny Brough and the Catalans'
Thomas Bosc appear to be making the Albert Goldthorpe Medal
a two-horse race after 13 rounds of this season's Super League
competition, with both players picking up points for their
role in the Millennium Magic weekend.
Brough picked up maximum points for his performance in Wakefield's
stunning 54-16 win against Castleford Tigers, while Bosc scored
two points as the Dragons came from behind with a late burst
to beat Harlequins 18-16.
Brough now leads the table with 20 points, with Bosc one point
behind him. Hull Kingston Rovers captain Michael Vella lies
six points further back in third place.
After his breathtaking display for St Helens against Wigan
on Sunday, for which he picked up three points, Saints' halfback
Sean Long enters the top ten standings for the first time.
Long lies in joint tenth position alongside Leeds' Jamie Peacock
and Hull's Adam Dykes, after Dykes picked up two points for
his performance against Hull Kingston Rovers.
About the Award
This is a new award that has been
created by 'Rugby Leaguer & League Express' to honour
the leading players in Super League, and to link Rugby League's
modern heroes with the name of a man who was English Rugby
League's first superstar 100 years ago.
It is intended to parallel the 'Dally M Medal',
which is awarded to the NRL player of the year by Rugby League
writers associated with the News Limited series of newspapers
in Australia.
That award is named after the great Australian player Dally
Messenger, who was a superstar of both codes, and guaranteed
the success of Rugby League in Australia when he signed to
play the new code in 1907.
Albert Goldthorpe's career also embraced the early part of
the 20th century. He was born on 3 November 1871, one of five
brothers, four of whom at one period played together in the
same Hunslet team. He made his first team debut, at full back,
as a 16-year-old in October 1888, and he was probably the
finest individual talent in the game at the time of the Northern
Union formation in 1895.
He had become one of the best known figures in English rugby
both before and after the split.
He was still playing for Hunslet 20 years after his debut,
when he led the club to unprecedented success, winning all
four cups (the Challenge Cup, the Championship, the Yorkshire
Cup and the Yorkshire League). Hunslet were the first team
to achieve that feat.
When he finally retired in 1910 he had scored more goals and
points than any player in the game's history at that time.
After his playing career ended he served on the Hunslet committee
until, in 1924, he was appointed as Hunslet's second fulltime
secretary-manager, a post he held for seven years.
In 2006 a number of correspondents wrote to the local newspaper
suggesting that the South Leeds Stadium should be re-named
in his honour.
League Express reporters will cast votes for the Albert Goldthorpe
Medal after every Super League game in the regular season.
The three players who, in the opinion of our reporter, have
been the three 'best and fairest' players in the game will
receive three points, two points and one point respectively.
To be eligible for a vote, however, a player must not have
been suspended from the competition at any stage during the
season.
An ongoing table of votes for the Albert Goldthorpe Medal
will be published in League Express every week until round
21 of the Super League competition. From round 22 onwards
the votes will not be published, and the reporters will not
be informed about the total votes cast for each player. That
is intended to ensure that reporters will not be influenced
by the current state of voting in the final weeks of the season.
A ceremony will be held to honour the winner of the Albert
Goldthorpe Medal in the week immediately following round 27
of the Super League season.
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Albert Goldthorpe's descendants are delighted
that their ancestor will be honoured by League Express.
"I'm sure that the Goldthorpe family will be delighted
that the tremendous achievements of Albert, and indeed the
other players of that era, are to be formally recognised with
an annual award," said Goldthorpe's greatgrandson Stephen
McGrail.
"I'm sure that Albert would be proud and honoured to
think that his achievements are to be remembered within the
modern day Super League community.
"I have long felt that both Dally Messenger and Lance
Todd are better known within the Rugby League community than
Albert. It would be great to be able to raise the profile
of Albert and the Hunslet community as a whole. If a publication
such as yours would be able to instigate an award I'm sure
that this would be achieved."
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