Triumphant Wigan winger Liam Marshall has expressed his delight at being named the Albert Goldthorpe Rookie of the Year.
The Warriors ace came out on top of an eight-man shortlist to secure the award following a remarkable breakthrough season.
Marshall hadn’t played a single game for the Warriors before this season but has scored 23 tries in 24 games after being given his chance to impress following the long-term absence of the injured Dom Manfredi.
Speaking about the accolade, Marshall admitted it topped a fantastic campaign.
“I’m buzzing,” he said.
“It’s a big achievement in my first year and good to get some individual recognition. It’s good to get praise as an individual as well as part of a team so I’m really happy to win it.
“It’s been good to get so many tries, playing at Wembley was a big one for me too. The season probably couldn’t have gone much better for me on a personal level and hopefully I can just kick on next year now.”
Marshall was voted for the award after strong competition from eight other ‘rookies’, all of whom had made less than ten top-grade appearances at the start of the season.
The other seven nominees were Kriss Brining (Salford Red Devils), Tom Davies (Wigan Warriors) Regan Grace (St Helens), Darnell McIntosh (Huddersfield Giants), Danny Richardson (St Helens), Danny Walker (Widnes Vikings) and Jack Walker (Leeds Rhinos).
