Marc Sneyd became just the second-ever rugby league player to receive the Lance Todd Trophy for a third time on Saturday afternoon – but the former Hull FC half-back admitted it’s an award he would rather not have won.
Sneyd equalled Sean Long’s record for three Lance Todd Trophy triumphs by taking the Man of the Match award in Saturday’s Challenge Cup final. Handed 31 of the 37 votes given by the media, the now 34-year-old was at his brilliant best on the big occasion once again, even if on the losing side.
Sneyd’s Warrington Wolves outfit were pipped 8-6 by Hull KR at Wembley, with Tom Davies’ late try snatching victory for the Robins after the Wire led 6-2. Their try, through Josh Thewlis, was set up by Sneyd, who kicked majestically throughout the contest, which was played in wet weather conditions in North London.
Controlling the game, Sneyd played his part in what was an attritional battle, with his third Lance Todd trophy adding to the two he received while a Hull FC player in 2016 and 2017 as the Black and Whites went back to back. But this one wasn’t an award he wanted to win – at least not right now.
“I’m not, to be honest,” he told the Warrington Guardian when asked how proud he was to win it for a third time. “I’d rather not have won it. It’s quite a bold statement, as not many have won it three times. When I retire, I’ll probably look and be proud of myself, but for the time being, I’m not.”
Warrington’s defeat was tough to take. They were the better side for the majority of the game – but it’s an eighty-minute affair, something Sneyd, who has no complaints, acknowledged when addressing the final and of winners, Hull KR.
“It’s tough,” Sneyd said. “The older you get, the better you are at dealing with it, but it still stings a lot. I thought for 77 minutes we were by far the better team – I thought we were brilliant – but it’s an 80-minute game.
“They (Rovers) handled that three-minute period better than us. It was an even game throughout, but they did what they do well in those last three minutes. It’s a tough one to take, but we’ll learn from it and move on.”
On Rovers, who tasted victory in this competition for just the second time, 45 years after their first, Sneyd added: “It’s a final, and they’ve been in and around finals for a few years now for a reason. They’re a top club who are doing a lot of things right.
“They’ve got a certain way of playing, and in my opinion, they’re the best at doing it. They grind teams, and they did it to us. After 77 minutes, we thought the job was done, so it’s a tough one.”