Six Super League stars, England quartet nominated for men’s 2023 IRL Golden Boot award
Harry Smith (England), James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand) and Edwin Ipape (Papua New Guinea) are among the nominees for the men's 2023 IRL Golden Boot - Alamy
Six Super League players and four England internationals are among the nominees for the men’s 2023 IRL Golden Boot award.
The IRL Golden Boot is awarded to the best player in sanctioned rugby league international matches each year.
Harry Smith, Mikey Lewis, John Bateman and Matty Ashton are the four England players to have been nominated for the prestigious award after the quartet helped Shaun Wane’s side clinch a 3-0 series whitewash in their test series against Tonga this autumn.
Several other Super League players are also among the nominees. Leigh Leopards’ duo of Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam are nominated having inspired Papua New Guinea to success in the Pacific Bowl whilst Huddersfield Giants star Esan Marsters was nominated after his performances for the Cook Islands in this autumn’s Pacific Championships.
Meanwhile, New Zealand have five players nominated – Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Jahrome Hughes, James Fisher-Harris, Joe Tapine and Ronaldo Mulitalo.
Australia, who won the World Cup a year ago, have four players up for scooping the Golden Boot in the shape of Cameron Murray, Harry Grant, Payne Haas and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
Golden Cap recipients Darren Lockyer (Australia), Adrian Morley (England), Ruben Wiki (New Zealand), James Graham (England) and Adam Blair (New Zealand) – who are among just nine players to have played 50 test matches for their country – will choose the men’s IRL Golden Boot winner.
The 20 players nominated for the men’s 2023 IRL Golden Boot award
Matty Ashton (England)
John Bateman (England)
Jahream Bula (Fiji)
Su’a Faalogo (Samoa)
James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand)
Addin Fonua-Blake (Tonga)
Harry Grant (Australia)
Payne Haas (Australia)
Jahrome Hughes (New Zealand)
Edwin Ipape (Papua New Guinea)
Tui Kamikamica (Fiji)
Lachlan Lam (Papua New Guinea)
Mikey Lewis (England)
Esan Marsters (Cook Islands)
Ronaldo Mulitalo (New Zealand)
Cameron Murray (Australia)
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (New Zealand)
Harry Smith (England)
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Australia)
Joe Tapine (New Zealand)
Shortlists for the men’s, women’s and wheelchair 2023 IRL Golden Boot awards will be announced after the second wheelchair international between last year’s World Cup winners England and runners-up France in Carcassonne on November 25.
The winners of the 2023 IRL Golden Boot awards will be announced in early December.
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