In less than four weeks' time the first major trophies of the season, with the exception of Salford winning the Northern Rail Cup, will have been handed out, with one of either Hull or St Helens lifting the Challenge Cup and one of their players being awarded the Lance Todd Trophy.
Attentions will then switch back to the Super League, the play-offs and the Man of Steel award, which the Rugby Football League announced yesterday would be selected by the players themselves, rather than the panel of experts that have chosen the previous winners.
Naturally thoughts then turned to who the favourites for the award will be and, with 22 rounds of action behind us, the picture should be starting to become pretty clear.
While many would agree that there are few better players in the Super League than the likes of Trent Barrett, Sean Long, Danny McGuire and company, the Man of Steel award is unique in not necessarily honouring the headline players.
Often it champions the underdogs, as was proved when Castleford's Adrian Vowles scooped the prize in 1999. Likewise, the resilient Bradford hooker James Lowes was rewarded in 1997 while Paul Wellens' capture of the prize in 2006 was testimony to his consistency.
Of course the brilliance of Paul Sculthorpe didn't go unnoticed in 2001 and 2002, nor did the majesty of Jamie Lyon in 2005. But unlike other awards, the Man of Steel doesn't just celebrate the great and the good, it stands up for those that are prepared to put their heads and bodies on the line 27 weeks in a row for what is considered to be one of the toughest team sports around.
It's simply for the one man who makes the biggest contribution to a Super League season, either through ability, determination, grit, strength, speed or talent. In most cases it's a mixture of them all.
So, with time running out for players to impress their peers, who is likely to be in the running this year? My own personal choice would be the Catalans Dragons' classy Australian centre Adam Mogg, while his team-mate Thomas Bosc also presents a strong case. Other candidates are likely to include Long, Wellens and their team-mate Matt Gidley.
It's interesting to note how the bookmakers have viewed the award too. It's often said that they rarely get things wrong, but anyone who took a chance on Mogg at 66-1 at the start of the year would point out that they do, especially considering Warrington centre Matt King started as a 20-1 third favourite.
Of course, they weren't to know that King wouldn't find his best form until the middle of the summer and although King could still have a huge say in Warrington reaching the Grand Final, the likelihood is that there won't be too many votes for the former Melbourne man.
Similarly, Wigan stand-off Trent Barrett kicked off at 8-1, comfortably the market leader ahead of Wellens who was priced at 16-1, yet only last week Barrett's attitude towards Wigan's inconsistent season was questioned by his chairman Ian Lenagan.
Of course, Barrett's class is beyond question and the Super League will miss him when he returns to Australia at the end of the season, but whether or not his fellow players will deem him their toughest opponent during 2008 is another matter.
For what it is worth, my money at the start of the season went on Hull Kingston Rovers enforcer Clint Newton who started the season in fine form but hasn't played for a month and won't play again this year through injury, so it's safe to say that he won't be needing his tuxedo at the end of the season.
For those who don't have the honour bestowed upon them, there is also the chance of being named in the “Dream Team” which is selected by members of the press and honours the 13 players deemed to have been the best in the competition.
With my vote not counting, here is the side that I would pick with just four games of the season remaining:
Paul Wellens (St Helens), Scott Donald (Leeds), Matt Gidley (St Helens), Adam Mogg (Catalans), Chris Hicks (Warrington), Thomas Bosc (Catalans), Sean Long (St Helens), Adrian Morley (Warrington), Aaron Gorrell (Catalans), Richard Moore (Wakefield), Lee Gilmour (St Helens), Stanley Gene (Hull KR), Joe Westerman (Castleford)
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