Ben Barba has been named Super League’s 2018 Man of Steel. The 29-year-old full-back, who will leave St Helens at the end of this season to join the NRL side North Queensland Cowboys, was voted the competition’s standout by his fellow players – and he becomes the sixth Australian to win the award in its 41-year history.

Barba saw off competition from his St Helens teammate James Roby and the Wigan forward John Bateman to be crowned Man of Steel despite being unable to steer the Super League leaders into this weekend’s Grand Final, which will instead be contested by Warrington and Wigan.

St Helens revealed last month that they would release Barba from his contract a year early to take up a deal in Australia. He becomes only the second player in rugby league history after Gavin Miller to win both of the game’s highest individual accolades: the Man of Steel and Australia’s Dally M Medal.

At the ceremony in Manchester on Monday night Castleford’s 17-year-old playmaker Georgia Roche was named as the inaugural Woman of Steel, an award designed to recognise the growth of the women’s game in England in the past 12 months.

Shaun Wane was named Super League coach of the year for the first time. Wane will end a 35-year association with Wigan Warriors after the Grand Final on Saturday to take up a job in Scottish rugby union, having led his hometown club to five title deciders during seven years in charge.

#ManofSteel



As voted for by fellow players - The 2018 @StevePrescott1 Man of Steel is @Saints1890 Ben Barba



And here's why 👇 pic.twitter.com/V5RY9ohXAw — Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) October 8, 2018

The Warriors defeated Castleford to reach the Grand Final at Old Trafford but there was recognition for the Tigers on Monday as their half-back Jake Trueman was named the young player of the year. Trueman, who was nominated alongside St Helens’ Matty Lees and the Leeds full-back Jack Walker, will tour Papua New Guinea with the England Knights this autumn tipped as a senior international of the future.