By Canadian Press

Wolfpack fullback Gareth O’Brien named Betfred Championship player of the year

Sep 24, 2019 | 4:00 PM

MANCHESTER, England — Wolfpack fullback Gareth O’Brien beat out two Toronto teammates Tuesday to win Betfred Championship Player of the Year honours.

The 27-year-old O’Brien scored 22 tries and, helped by his kicking boot, accounted for a quarter of the Wolfpack’s points in 2019.

Toronto hooker Andy Ackers and loose forward Jon Wilkin were finalists for the rugby league award.

Toronto dominated play during the second-tier Championship regular season, finishing atop the standings with a 26-1-0 record. It is set to host the Championship Grand Final on Oct. 5 with promotion to the top-tier Super League on the line.

James Ford of the York City Knights was named Championship Coach of the Year, just 12 months after winning the award in the third-tier League 1. He beat out Wolfpack coach Brian McDermott, whose team has won 22 straight games, and Mark Aston of the Sheffield Eagles.

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York, which finished third in the Championship standings after winning promotion the year before from League 1, was named Championship Club of the Year while Keighley Cougars took League 1 honours.

Swinton Lions winger Matty Ashton was chosen Championship Young Player of the Year.

Whitehaven RLFC. which topped the League 1 regular-season standings with a 15-3-2 record, won a trio of awards.

Whitehaven’s Dion Aiye was named League 1 Player of the Year, beating out teammate Marc Shackley, Oldham’s Danny Langtree and Newcastle’s Nick Newman.

Whitehaven’s Gary Charlton was named top coach in League 1 while Whitehaven’s teenage winger Andrew Bulman won League 1 Young Player of the Year honours.

Award Winners

Championship Player of the Year: Gareth O’Brien, Toronto Wolfpack

League 1 Player of the Year: Deon Aiye, Whitehaven RLFC 

Championship Club of the Year: York City Knights

League 1 Club of the Year: Keighley Cougars

Championship Coach of the Year: James Ford, York City Knights 

League 1 Coach of the Year: Gary Charlton, Whitehaven RLFC

Championship Young Player of the Year: Matty Ashton, Swinton Lions 

League 1 Young Player of the Year: Andrew Bulman, Whitehaven RLFC

FSA Community Champion of the Year: Liz Hindley

Foundation of the Year: Newcastle Thunder

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2019.

The Canadian Press