LeagueNews.co | Nick Loken
At the NZ Warriors' awards presentation at Go Media Stadium, Captain Tyson Hansen and stand-in Jeremiah Lemana were named joint winners of the Harold Matthews Cup player of the year title.
This recognition came just three days after the Warriors secured their second consecutive Harold Matthews under-17 premiership.
The award for the SG Ball under-19 side went to middle forward Paea Sikuvea.
Hansen was unable to compete in his second straight Harold Matthews grand final due to an ankle injury, despite his contributions to the club's historic 34-16 victory against Western Suburbs last year.
In Hansen's absence, Lemana stepped up to lead the team to a 30-16 victory over Newcastle at Leichhardt Oval, becoming the only player to participate in both premiership wins.
At just 15 years old, Lemana played in the centres during last year's final and stepped into the fullback position for all 11 games this season, totaling 21 appearances out of a possible 22 across both seasons.