Roby has been better than both of them this year anyway.

Hope Sam gets it - would be a victory for exciting talent over hard working consistency (Richards).

I have been impressed by Roby this year also. Growing into a real class player.

Exactly the reason!

Tomkins would surely be the first player to come into a team and win the YPOTY followed by MOS the next year.

Just check out the guy's stats. They stack up comparatively to any forward in the league and Pat plays on the wing, occasionally at FB in emergencies. Only James Graham has made more meters this year. Plus he's the League's top try scorer on top of that. In fact, if you look at him purely as a kicker, he's pretty average compared to the likes of Sinfield and Dobson

great to have 2 wigan players shortlisted. well done sam and pat!!

I definetly don't think it should go to Sam. Compared to Pat I don't think he's close.

Seeing the shortlist I can see Morley getting it as Sam and Pat might have split the "Wigan" vote.

i'll second that. if i'm right the super league players vote for MOS via a secret ballot, so i can't see Sam getting it. half of them, no matter how professional they made be, will more than likely hate the little $hit

i'd go with Pat to win, closely followed by Morley and Sam struggling for votes in 3rd.

I owuldnt back against Sam to be honest.

I agree - there will be plenty of times this year when oppo players will have come away thinking "wow, Sam Tomkins ripped us apart today".

Not sure any player would really come away from a game thinking the same about Richards.

The Wire forum would explode if that happened

Richards at 10/11 with Hills is surely buying money? The other 2 aren't even close as far as I'm concerned.

That's a very good point.

I must admit, until the announcement the other day, it never really entered my head that Sam might be in contention for Man of Steel.

It's certainly a good point that players who have just been run ragged by him could give him their vote. But if that was the case, I think it would be a mistake.

Sam, though devastating at times, is still learning and has been far from perfect this season. Take last Sunday, for example. He scored two blinders, but could have won the game for us if he'd let the ball go more. The one time he passed out wide, we strolled in.

Pat Richards isn't perfect either, but from a Wigan perspective, you'd have to put his average performance at something like 9/10 minimum. I reckon Sam would be more like 7/10.

That said, Morley is a serious challenger - not least because, as someone else said, I do think the sentimental vote will count for something.

I think Richards falls more into the traditional 'Man of Steel' image a lot more than Sam. He manages to score impossible tries through pure upper body strength. The Salford away game was a tough close match and Pat scored two tries that most other players wouldn't have because they would have been untangling themselves from the advertising hoardings.