PRIOR to Saturday, only two wingers had been named player of the match in Super League Grand Final history – and the last of those was 21 years ago.

Wigan’s Jason Robinson took the accolade in the first final in 1998 and Leon Pryce claimed it while lining up out wide for Bradford Bulls seven years later, but since then there had been nothing.

Until Tom Johnstone came along!

The Wakefield Trinity winger was only rated as a 14/1 outsider to claim the Rob Burrow Award with competition sponsor Betfred going into Saturday’s Old Trafford showpiece.

Yet the 31-year-old played a key role in helping Wakefield clinch a first Super League title in the 23-10 win over Warrington Wolves, as well as earning the individual honour which carries the name of a player who was an icon for him along with many others.

“I grew up as a Leeds lad and watched Rob for so many years, and what an inspirational person all the way to the end,” Johnstone said.

“He was so special in so many ways and to get my name in history alongside his, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.

“It’s something which will probably settle over the next few days and years.”

By the time Johnstone scored Wakefield’s fourth and final try of the night in the 58th minute, they were already well on the way to victory over Warrington.

There was much more to his showing than just his 22nd try to the 2026 Super League season, though.

He was on hand to provide a try assist – only his second of the Super League campaign – for Isaiah Vagana, out-jumping opposite number Albert Hopoate to pluck Jake Trueman’s kick to the corner out of the sky and knock it back down for the second rower to finish.

Indeed, his chasing of stand-off Trueman’s pinpoint kicks into that corner of the field all night helped limit any opportunities Hopoate had to gain metres when Warrington sought to bring the ball out from their own line after taking over possession.

Johnstone was a prolific metre-maker too. By the half-hour mark, he had already racked up 100 with the ball in hand and had covered 232 by the time the final hooter sounded – for an average gain of over nine metres per carry.

That was thanks in no small part to some of his strong runs up the middle early in the tackle count for Wakefield, when it almost seemed at times like he was playing as another prop.

Underlining that is the fact he was busting tackles at nearly the same rate as Wakefield forwards Jazz Tevaga and Caius Faatili, breaking out of seven compared to the duo’s eight.

Add in the two clean breaks, and it is easy to see just how many problems he caused the Wolves defence all night.

On a personal level, it was the perfect way for Johnstone to cap the return to the club where he made his name when he burst onto the scene with nine tries in 13 appearances back in 2015.

Lured back to Trinity by the vision of head coach Daryl Powell and owner Matt Ellis after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Catalans Dragons, the Germany-born former Stanningley junior, who grew up a Leeds fan, feels very much at home in this part of West Yorkshire.

“This club means everything to me and I’ve been saying it for a long time now,” Johnstone said.

“I’ve been saying for years all I want to do is win a Grand Final for Wakefield and it’s always been a pipedream for the last ten years or so.

“Coming back to the club, that’s what Matt wanted to do and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to do it.

“There are some fans who’ve supported Wakefield all their life and not seen anything, and now we’ve done it.”