Former Parramatta Eels outside back and current Wigan Warriors half Bevan French has claimed the Man of Steel award in the English Super League.
His transition into the halves this season has seen Wigan go all the way to the grand final of the competition, with a run of St Helens back-to-back premierships finally broken.
French, who has been with Wigan since 2019 following his exit from the Parramatta Eels where he had spent three NRL seasons, was a try-scoring machine for the Super League outfit before leading from the front in the halves this year.
He beat St Helens fullback Jack Welsby and Catalans winger Tom Johnstone to the award to be crowned the best player in the competition this season.
French has, at numerous times during his stint with Wigan, been linked to a return to Australia and the NRL, and given the lack of quality halves currently off-contract in the Australian competition, he could well become a prime target for a number of struggling clubs in the coming months.
Wigan will face the Catalans Dragons in the Super League grand final this weekend, with the French team guided by Mitchell Pearce, who himself is entering the final game of his rugby league career having announced his retirement from the sport a couple of months ago.
