2025 IRL Golden Boot: Women's long list announced

Jillaroos superstar Tamika Upton, her Kiwi Ferns fullback opposite Apii Nicholls, Fetu Samoa’s rookie sensation Shalom and Cook Islands playmaker Chantay Kiria-Ratu are among the leading contenders for the Women’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot award.

Upton, who this season won her second Dally M Medal as the NRLW’s player of the year, was Australia’s player’s player in the 90-4 demolition of England at Allegiant Stadium earlier this year and one of the best players in the Jillaroos’ 60-0 defeat of Samoa two weeks ago.

The five-time premiership winner missed last weekend’s 10-4 defeat of New Zealand with a calf injury but is set to return for the Pacific Cup final against the Kiwi Ferns on Sunday at CommBank Stadium.

Australian backrowers Yasmin Clydsdale, Kezie Apps and Olivia Kernick are also included on a long list of candidates for the award, which was last year won by injured Jillaroos playmaker Tarryn Aiken.

Her replacement, Jesse Southwell, is also among the nominees, along with centre Isabelle Kelly – the inaugural Women’s Golden Boot winner in 2018 – and winger Julia Robinson, whose stunning aerial try against Samoa went viral.

Nicholls has been one of New Zealand’s best in their 22-20 defeat of Samoa and last weekend’s narrow loss to the Jillaroos, which featured a slashing individual try by Kiwi Ferns secondrower Annessa Biddle.

Previous Golden Boot winners Raecene McGregor (2022) and George Hale (2023), the Kiwi Ferns co-captains, have also been nominated, along with Ash Quinlan, who will start at five-eighth in Sunday’s Pacific Cup final after turning momentum in the previous two matches when she came off the interchange.

Samoa rookie Shalom Sauaso, who was player of the match in her international debut against New Zealand, also makes the long list, along with Cook Islands halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu, who led the Moana to an historic victory in the Pacific Bowl against Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

Tongan centre Martha Mataele, PNG Orchids captain and prop Elsie Albert and Cook Islands winger Paulina Morris-Ponga, who scored four tries, are other nominees from the Pacific Bowl.

Players have also been recognised for their performances in the inaugural IRL World Series, which saw Fiji qualify for RLWC26 after beating Nigeria in the final.

Bulikula captain Cass Staples and playmaker Sereana Naitokatoka were the nominees from the winning side, while Nigerian lock Faustina Akeje and secondrower Rachel Iliya have been included in the Golden Boot long list.

Nigeria have played four international fixtures this season, beating Ghana 2-0 in a two match series in Lagos and also defeating Ireland 10-0 at the World Series, with Iliya scoring a long range try to seal the historic win.

The Green Falcons will meet Ghana for a third time on November 23 in Accra.

England halfback Isabelle Rowe is the final player on long list after scoring 22 points in August’s 62-0 defeat of Wales. Rowe, who was a member of Wigan’s premiership and Challenge Cup winning team, did not play in the heavy defeat by Australia in Vegas.

The Women’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot winner will be judged by Australian Jillaroos great Karyn Murphy, New Zealand dual code superstar Honey Hireme-Smiler and Kiwi Ferns pioneer Luisa Avaiki, who also played for Samoa. 

Karyn Murphy made 27 international appearances and led the Jillaroos to their first World Cup triumph in 2013. She is one of six female players inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame. Karyn is the former NRL Head of Integrity and currently coaches the Gold Coast Titans in the NRLW.

Honey Hireme-Smiler played in four World Cups for the Kiwi Ferns, including 2013 when she was captain and player of the tournament. Honey has been a member of the NZRL Board since 2022 and was recently re-appointed as deputy chair. She is presenter for Sky Sport NZ’s NRL and NRLW coverage. 

Luisa Avaiki played in three World Cup winning teams for New Zealand, captaining the Ferns to victory in 2003 and 2008. She played for Samoa against Australia in 2011. Avaiki was the founding NRLW coach for the Warriors in 2018.

The IRL Golden Boot is awarded to the best player in sanctioned rugby league international matches each year.

The 2024 IRL Golden Boot winners were Australia’s Tarryn Aiken and Isaah Yeo and England Wheelchair star Rob Hawkins.

Short lists for the men’s, women’s and wheelchair 2025 IRL Golden Boot awards will be announced after the Pacific Championships finals in Sydney and the Third Ashes Test in Leeds.

2025 IRL GOLDEN BOOT LONG LIST (Women)

• Annessa Biddle (New Zealand)
• Apii Nichols (New Zealand)
• Ashleigh Quinlan (New Zealand)
• Cassie Staples (Fiji)
• Elsie Albert (Papua New Guinea)
• Faustina Akeje (Nigeria)
• Georgia Hale (New Zealand)
• Isabelle Kelly (Australia)
• Isabelle Rowe (England)
• Jesse Southwell (Australia)
• Julia Robinson (Australia)
• Kezie Apps (Australia)
• Martha Mataele (Tonga)
• Olivia Kernick (Australia)
• Paulina Morris-Ponga (Cook Islands)
• Rachel Iliya (Nigeria)
• Raecene McGregor (New Zealand)
• Sereana Naitokatoka (Fiji)
• Shalom Sauaso (Samoa)
• Tamika Upton (Australia)
• Yasmin Clydesdale (Jillaroos)

Previous IRL Golden Boot Winners

• 2018 Isabelle Kelly (Australia)
• 2019 Jess Sergis (Australia)
• 2020 No award given
• 2021 No award given
• 2022 Raecene McGregor (New Zealand)
• 2023 Georgia Hale (New Zealand)
• 2024 Tarryn Aiken (Australia)