The Tom Bergin Trophy was an award given to the man-of-the-match in the annual Championship Grand Final. The award is named after Tom Bergin, a former president of the Rugby League Writers' Association and former editor for the Salford City Reporter. The trophy was first awarded in the Second Division Premiership Final of the 1986–87 season.
In 1998, the Divisional Premiership final was replaced with a play-off system, and the trophy continued to be used as a man-of-the-match award for the Grand Final of the second division. The trophy was last awarded in 2014 to Martyn Ridyard.[1]
Following the introduction of the Super 8s in the 2015 season, the Championship Grand Final was replaced by the Million Pound Game, and the trophy was no longer used. Despite the reintroduction of the Grand Final in 2019, the award was not reinstated.