York Knights will dominate the awards for the 2025 Betfred Championship when they are presented at Rugby League’s Awards Night in Manchester next Tuesday (October 7) – two days after they host Toulouse Olympique in the Grand Final at the LNER Community Stadium.
The Knights have already secured the League Leaders’ Shield and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup, their first ever win at Wembley Stadium, in a 20-match winning run stretching back to April.
Three of their players – their captain and half-back Liam Harris, the veteran hooker Paul McShane, and non-stop prop Jordan Thompson – form the shortlist for the 2025 Betfred Championship Player of the Year, following a poll of the head coaches of the competition’s 13 clubs.
The coaches also voted almost unanimously that Mark Applegarth should be the 2025 Betfred Championship Coach of the Year.
Jack Smith, a 20-year-old goalkicking three quarter who joined London Broncos on loan from Leeds Rhinos in May, breaks York’s monopoly with the Young Player of the Year award, again decided by a poll of coaches.
The winner of the 2025 Betfred Championship Player of the Year Award will be announced at the Rugby League Awards Night on Tuesday October 7, when Mark Applegarth and Jack Smith will be presented with their awards.
