Five players have been short-listed for the 2025 IRL Golden Boot, including Kangaroos pair Cam Munster and Harry Grant.
New Zealand duo Joe Tapine and Dylan Brown as well as Samoan star Payne Haas round out the players in contention for the award.
The Golden Boot is awarded to the best player in sanctioned international matches.
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Munster and Grant starred for Australia in the dominant 3-0 series win against England, with Munster winning the player of the series award while Grant picked up man-of-the-match honours in the second Test.
If one of the Storm duo win the award, it’ll be the second straight year an Australian has had his name engraved after Isaah Yeo won the gong in 2024.
In his first campaign for Samoa following his international allegiance switch, Haas was a wrecking ball in the Pacific Championships, continuing on from his stellar NRL season.
Samoa fell short of winning the Pacific Cup after being defeated by New Zealand in the final. Kiwis playmaker Dylan Brown was a huge reason why.
Brown hasn’t had an easy season. After signing the richest contract of all time early in the season to join Newcastle from 2026, Brown was placed under the microscope and his club form suffered because of it.
However, he was able to turn it on on the international stage.
Brown was brilliant in all three games, with New Zealand winning all three, but in the final he was the best on ground, recording ten tackle busts, three try assists, six offloads and 174 running metres.
Dylan Brown was New Zealand’s best player across their three Pacific Championship fixtures.Source: Getty Images
Prop Joe Tapine is also in contention for the award as he and Haas proved they were the best middle forwards in the game. Tapine had 174 metres and four offloads in New Zealand’s 36-14 win in the final against Samoa.
Five players were also shortlisted for the Women’s Golden Boot, including three Aussies.
Outside back Julia Robinson, fullback Tamika Upton and forward Yasmin Clydesdale are the three Jillaroos in contention.
New Zealand’s Apii Nicholls and the Cook Islands’ Chantay Kiria-Ratu round out the shortlist of five.
The Jillaroos were dominant all year, starting with a 90-4 thrashing of England in February. They would win another Pacific Cup earlier this month, downing New Zealand by 32 points in the final.
Tarryn Aiken won last year’s Golden Boot.
The winners are expected to be announced next month.