Leeds Rhinos’ Harry Newman named YEP Shooting Star for 2019

Harry Newman is presented with the YEP Shooting Star Award 2019 - by YEP rugby league writer Peter Smith, left, and David Muhl.

Newman received the prestigious honour, voted for by Evening Post readers, at Rhinos’ awards ceremony last night.

The 19-year-old was presented with a unique, framed YEP back page by competition winner David Muhl.

Newman and last season’s Shooting Star, Jack Walker, have both been nominated for the Betfred Super League young player of the year honour, along with Castleford Tigers’ Jake Trueman, who won the award in 2018, Matty Lees of St Helens and Wigan Warriors’ Morgan Smithies.

Yorkshire Evening Post 2019 Shooting Star, Harry Newman. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe/JPIMedia.

Winger Ash Handley was named Rhinos’ player of the year.

Handley, Super League’s joint-leading try scorer with one round of the season remaining, is only the second winger to win the award in the modern era, after Ryan Hall seven years ago.

As well as scoring 22 tries, Handley, who inherited the number five jersey from Hall in pre-season, has made more metres – 3,139 – than any other Rhinos player this year and produced 30 clean breaks.

Another winger, Tom Briscoe, was runner-up with captain and loose-forward Trent Merrin third.

Leeds Rhinos player of the year, Ash Handley. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

Handley’s centre, Konrad Hurrell, was the Kong Media fans’ player of the year.

The Chris Sanderson Memorial Trophy for academy player of the year went to second-rower Sam Walters who joined Rhinos from Widnes Vikings at the start of the season.

Head groundsman Ryan Golding was named clubman of the year. As well as leading his team on the renovation of the stadium pitch and maintenance of the training ground, Golding has also had to work around the constraints of the £45 million redevelopment of both stands that run alongside the stadium pitch.

Special tributes were paid to the club’s two longest-serving players, forwards Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Carl Ablett, who will both retire at the end of the season.