Shock decision stuns fans as Harry Grant beats rivals to Golden Boot title
A global award with high stakes
The Golden Boot is one of rugby league’s few international individual awards. It recognises the player judged to have delivered the most influential performances in Test matches throughout the year, not club competitions. Because international fixtures are limited, each match carries significant weight, making the voting process highly scrutinised.
According to reporting from the Australian Associated Press, this year’s panel weighed performances from the Ashes series, the Pacific Cup and several stand-alone internationals before announcing their verdict.
Why Harry Grant emerged on top
Harry Grant’s selection surprised some observers, but the judging panel noted the consistency of his impact during Australia’s 3,0 Ashes clean sweep of England. His work as a hooker, a central playmaking role in rugby league, helped control the pace of each match.
Grant also captained Australia in Liverpool when Isaah Yeo was unavailable and scored a decisive try in Leeds that shifted the momentum of the final Test. IRL chair Troy Grant remarked that the Storm star had kept England’s defence off balance with his running game and leadership throughout the tour.
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Momentum shifts for favourites Reece Walsh and Dylan Brown
Heading into the announcement, many expected the award to fall to either Brisbane full-back Reece Walsh or New Zealand five-eighth Dylan Brown. Walsh had just helped deliver Brisbane’s first NRL premiership in 19 years, and he opened the Ashes series with a standout performance that included two tries and more than 240 metres gained.
Brown, meanwhile, was the standout of New Zealand’s Pacific Cup win. According to AAP match reports, he scored or set up key tries in every game, including the tournament final, where he was named both player of the match and player of the series. For many analysts, this made Brown the most logical favourite.
Yet the judges, including Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith, Ruben Wiki, James Graham and Petero Civoniceva, ultimately considered Grant’s performances against England to hold greater significance due to the strength of the opposition and the historical weight of the Ashes rivalry.
How the women’s award unfolded
In the women’s category, Brisbane centre Julia Robinson secured the Golden Boot after a dominant year for the Jillaroos. According to the IRL’s official statement, Robinson scored seven tries across four international matches and became her national team’s all-time leading try scorer during the Pacific Cup.
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Her diving try against Samoa, widely shared on social media, was described by IRL chair Troy Grant as a moment that “elevated the women’s international game to another level”.
Why this decision matters beyond rugby league insiders
For people outside the rugby league world, the controversy stems from how differently the international calendar is valued compared with domestic competitions. A player may be far more famous at club level, but Golden Boot voting is based exclusively on international matches. As a result, a small number of Tests can outweigh an entire club season, creating unexpected outcomes like this year’s.
The award also influences future representative selections, player market value and public perception of leadership roles within national teams.
Reactions and what the result tells us about the international game
Grant’s win highlights the increasing importance placed on Ashes Test performances, even as the international schedule remains limited. It also raises questions about whether the Pacific Cup should carry more voting weight given its competitive depth and growth.
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Fans in Australia and New Zealand have expressed mixed reactions, but the result underscores the unpredictable nature of international rugby league, where the context, opposition strength and timing of performances often matter as much as raw statistics.
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