Overview
- The International Rugby League presented the 2026 Golden Boot awards in Brisbane on Thursday, naming Kalyn Ponga the men’s winner and Stacey Waaka the women’s winner.
- Ponga won after a season that included leading Newcastle to the NRL grand final, breaking his forearm in New Zealand’s opening World Cup match, undergoing surgery and returning to play limited but influential minutes.
- Some observers questioned Ponga’s selection because he completed only two of New Zealand’s four World Cup matches, prompting debate about how the judges weighed brief international impact against full-tournament output.
- Waaka was honoured for a prolific cross-code year, scoring nine tries in 10 NRLW games and nine tries in four World Cup matches, and she was visibly moved when teammates performed a haka in her tribute at the ceremony.
- The ceremony also named England’s Rob Hawkins as the Wheelchair Golden Boot, used panels of former players to decide winners and coincided with the inaugural IRL Hall of Legends ahead of the finals.