Stelling nominated for Championship Player of the Month

Warriors centre Max Stelling has been nominated for Greene King IPA Championship Player of the Month award after impressing in the gold and blue throughout March.

Stelling represents Worcester's fourth nomination, with Mike Williams, Sam Betty and Ryan Mills previously included in the nominees.

A constant threat in the Warriors midfield, Stelling has been involved in 17 league games this season and named in the starting line-up for 15 of them.

The 21-year-old has scored13 tries, with two coming in March. “He has pace, eye for a break, spatial awareness and is a real athlete,” commented a panel member.

Rotherham Titans are represented by two players in the March line-up, bringing their total to three across the five Player of the Month rounds after Joel Gill was included in November's shortlist.

Alex Rieder has earned a nomination after impressing during Rotherham's victory over Moseley, proving instrumental with his ball-carrying ability and the assist which led to Dan White's try.

Should the Titans finish in the top four, Rieder will have had a massive hand to play in securing a second consecutive play-off spot for the Yorkshire side.

Fellow Titan James Mckinney also receives a nomination, having been selected by half of the panel members.

McKinney's ability to put Rotherham in the right areas of the field has enabled the Titans to adopt a more pragmatic game plan and one that has resulted in wins over Moseley and Cornish Pirates and a narrow defeat to Bristol.

McKinney turned in a man of the match performance in the televised clash against the Cornish Pirates and has scored 40 points in the first three fixtures of March.

“Whether the Moseley scrum is going forward, he always seems to emerge with the ball,” commented a member of the voting panel when nominating Chris Brightwell.

Increasingly reliable in the lineout, the Moseley number eight's efforts in March did not go unnoticed, despite his club's two defeats.

The Kiwi's vast experience – having previously played for Sale Sharks, Bedford Blues and England Sevens – is proving fruitful for Moseley as they look to secure Championship rugby next season.

Finally, Yorkshire Carnegie fly-half Harry Leonard is included amongst the nominees. Looking increasingly assured at half-back, Leonard's return to the number 10 jersey has coincided with a run of three straight wins for Carnegie.

Leonard's pinpoint crossfield kick for Oli Goss's try against Jersey was top drawer, while his goal-kicking percentage continues to climb.

To vote for your Greene King IPA Championship March Player of the Month, visit EnglandRugby.com/champ-potm. Voting closes at midnight on Wednesday April 15. The winner will be announced on Friday April 17. Only one vote will be registered per person.

Everybody who votes during the competition will be automatically entered into a free prize draw to win a day at Twickenham for them and up to nine friends.

March Player of the Month nominees:
Max Stelling (Worcester Warriors)
Alex Rieder (Rotherham Titans)
Chris Brightwell (Moseley)
Harry Leonard (Yorkshire Carnegie)
James McKinney (Rotherham Titans)

Previous winners:
September: Matthew Morgan (Bristol Rugby)
November: Sam Olver (Moseley)
January: Marco Mama (Bristol Rugby)
February: Dougie Flockhart (Doncaster Knights)
 


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