Super League 2023 awards: Yorkshire's player of season, best try and champagne moment

Willie Peters' side reached the Challenge Cup final before recovering from the blow of losing in golden point at Wembley to fly the flag for the county in the play-offs.

After turning the tables on cup foes Leigh Leopards to book a semi-final spot, KR were well beaten by eventual winners Wigan Warriors.

Rovers were far and away the best Yorkshire side in both competitions in an otherwise miserable campaign for the county.

The other clubs made up Super League's bottom five at the end of the regular season, while there was no West Yorkshire representation in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the summer era.

Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants performed well below expectations and Hull FC continued their descent down the table in their first season under Tony Smith.

Wakefield Trinity will be playing in the Championship next year after being relegated with just eight points, much to the relief of Castleford Tigers who only secured their safety on the penultimate weekend.

Although it was largely a forgettable campaign from a Yorkshire perspective, there were moments worth celebrating along the way.

Here, The Yorkshire Post hands out its awards for the 2023 season.

Player of the season: Elliot Minchella

The 27-year-old is the cornerstone of the Hull KR pack after establishing himself as one of the best loose forwards in Super League.

Minchella was unfortunate to miss out on the Dream Team to John Asiata and his influence on the Robins cannot be understated.

The former Bradford Bulls man leads KR's line speed and mixes brute force with subtle skills in attack.

Young player of the season: Jack Broadbent

It was not a year for emerging talent in the county with most clubs doing it tough at the bottom end of Super League.

Davy Litten – a true rookie in his first full season at Hull – showed some promising signs and Mikey Lewis continues to enhance his burgeoning reputation but Broadbent takes the award for his impact on a poor Castleford side.

Fuelled by a desire to prove a point to former employers Leeds, the versatile back missed just two games all year and set the standard for the Tigers in terms of energy and enthusiasm, showing enough to suggest he will become a household name in Super League.

Best signing: James Batchelor

The hardworking back-rower perhaps went under the radar during his time at Wakefield but he is starting to get the plaudits he deserves following his switch to Hull KR.

Batchelor nails the one-percenters and has a habit of coming up with big plays, including seven tries in a stellar first season at Craven Park.

He saw brother Joe play at last year's World Cup and is putting his own name in the frame for England selection, something Peters predicted when he signed the 25-year-old last year.

Best try: Caitlin Beevers v St Helens

There was only one winner after the Leeds Rhinos Women's centre lit up the Challenge Cup final with one of Wembley's great individual tries in a losing cause.

Beevers picked up the ball deep inside her own half before motoring down the wing and weaving her way through St Helens defenders to dive over.

Leeds ended the season empty-handed after going on to lose to York Valkyrie in the Grand Final but Beevers' Wembley try will live long in the memory.

Best game: Leeds 32 Catalans 22

For sheer drama, Wakefield's 27-26 win over Wigan tops the list but Leeds' entertaining home clash with the Dragons in March had a bit of everything: silky skills, scintillating tries and controversial calls thrown in for good measure.

The Rhinos played their part in a breathless first half but appeared to be down and out after going into the break 22-8 behind.

Rohan Smith's men had not read the script in front of a bumper crowd, scoring 24 unanswered points in a stirring comeback to end Catalans' winning start.

Best performance: Hull FC v St Helens

Huddersfield's stunning 22-14 victory against Catalans in Perpignan was a contender but in terms of games attended, Hull's 34-6 defeat of St Helens stands out.

The Black and Whites outenthused and outfought the four-time defending champions in the heaviest loss of their campaign.

Jake Clifford showed Hull what they will miss next season with a virtuoso performance in Hull's first win over Saints in six years.

Champagne moment: Brad Schneider drop goal v Wigan

The Robins enjoyed some memorable wins in 2023 – including one on the same ground in the same manner the previous week – but nothing topped their semi-final win over the Warriors at Headingley.

Ethan Ryan's converted try took the match to extra time after Joe Shorrocks was red carded just one minute into the second half.

The stage was set for Schneider to send Rovers to Wembley with a nerveless long-range drop goal, sparking jubilant scenes and disproving the theory that lightning never strikes in the same place twice.