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Six nominations revealed for Golden Boot award

Tuesday 10th November 2009

FIVE players who will play in Saturday's Four Nations final between England and Australia are on the shortlist to win the coveted Golden Boot, which is awarded annually to the world's greatest Rugby League player by 'Rugby League World' magazine.
               The list includes three Australians - Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith - two Englishmen - Gareth Ellis and Kevin Sinfield - and one New Zealander - Fuifui Moimoi.
                  Moimoi is the only nominee who won't be able to press his claims for the Golden Boot in this Saturday's Gillette Four Nations final.
                  Slater (2008) and Smith (2007) are the last two winners of the award and, along with Inglis, tasted Grand Final glory with Melbourne this year and State-of-Origin success with Queensland for the fourth year in a row.
                  Inglis has enjoyed a magnificent year, firmly establishing himself as the best threequarter in the world. He won the Wally Lewis Medal as the best player in this year's State of Origin series, and scored 16 tries for the Storm, including a play-off hat-trick against Brisbane Broncos, as they won their second Premiership in three years.
                  Slater was the runaway winner of the Golden Boot last year, picking up 41 voting points, 31 ahead of second-placed Manu Vatuvei. He has enjoyed another superb season, scoring 18 tries for the Storm, including four in the opening weekend of the play-offs against holders Manly.
                  Smith continues to enhance his reputation as one of the code's greatest-ever hookers, and his goalkicking helped him become Melbourne's highest-ever points scorer. He averaged just under 40 tackles a game. He also scored the last-minute try which rescued a draw for Australia in the opening Four Nations match against the Kiwis, a score which ultimately eliminated the World Champions from the competition.
                  Moimoi has enjoyed a sensational year at Parramatta Eels in the NRL, where his performances played a huge part in their transformation from a side struggling near the foot of the table midway through the season to eventual Grand Finalists. The Eels lost the final, but Moimoi scored an outstanding individual try.
                  On their Four Nations tour, Moimoi has been arguably the Kiwis' best forward, and on Saturday one clash with Adrian Morley, which left the Englishman dazed, was a perfect demonstration of his talents.
                  Ellis was on the Golden Boot shortlist in 2007, and has since moved to Australia, where he plays for Wests Tigers. He was recently voted by his team-mates the club's player of the season, and has been a vital part of England's pack so far in the Four Nations.
                  Sinfield captained Leeds Rhinos to their third successive title in 2009, and he gave a man-of-the-match performance for England to eliminate New Zealand from the Gillette Four Nations tournament on Saturday at the Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield.
                  The voting panel will once against consist of members of the media and a former international from each of the three leading nations.
                  The former players include the inaugural winner of the Golden Boot, Wally Lewis, as well as Hugh McGahan, the New Zealander who shared the award with Australia's Peter Sterling in 1988 and Great Britain's Garry Schofield who, it emerged recently, would have won the Golden Boot in 1991 had Adidas in Australia not withdrawn their backing of the award.
                  Final voting will take place after the Gillette Four Nations final, to be held at Elland Road this Saturday, 14 November.
                  The award ran from 1985 to 1990 before being revived by League Publications Ltd, the publishers of 'Rugby League World' and 'League Express', in 1999.
 
Full list of Golden Boot winners:
1985 Wally Lewis (Australia)
1986 Brett Kenny (Australia)
1987 Garry Jack (Australia)
1988 Hugh McGahan (New Zealand) & Peter Sterling (Australia)
1989 Ellery Hanley (Great Britain)
1990 Mal Meninga (Australia)
1991-1998 No award given
1999 Andrew Johns (Australia)
2000 Brad Fittler (Australia)
2001 Andrew Johns (Australia)
2002 Stacey Jones (New Zealand)
2003 Darren Lockyer (Australia)
2004 Andrew Farrell (Great Britain)
2005 Anthony Minichiello (Australia)
2006 Darren Lockyer (Australia)
2007 Cameron Smith (Australia)
2008 Billy Slater (Australia)