2025 IRL Golden Boot: Winners announced

Kangaroos superstar Harry Grant, Jillaroos wonder woman Julia Robinson and England Wheelchair history maker Rob Hawkins have been crowned the 2025 International Rugby League Golden Boot winners.

Grant, who is widely regarded as the best hooker in the game, was voted the Men’s 2025 International Player of the Year for his performances in Australia’s 3-0 Ashes Series triumph against England, narrowly beating Kiwis pair Dylan Brown and Joseph Tapine for the prestigious Golden Boot.

Robinson, who has been a constant on the wing for Australia since 2018, starred in all four international appearances for the Jillaroos in 2025 and showcased her athleticism and rugby league intelligence with a spectacular try against Samoa that went viral on social media. She was a unanimous choice as the Women’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot winner.

Hawkins, who spearheaded back-to-back England comebacks to beat Australia 2-0 in the Wheelchair Ashes, became the first player in any discipline to win the Golden Boot in consecutive years.

After belatedly receiving his 2024 award from IRL Chair Troy Grant during a presentation before the second match of the Ashes Series on the Gold Coast, Hawkins quipped that he wanted to become the first Wheelchair player to win the Golden Boot twice.

His determination paid off from both a personal point of view, and also for England, who edged out the Wheelaroos while Hawkins edged Australian pair of Bayley McKenna and Zac Schumacher for the Golden Boot in the process.

Grant and Robinson will be presented with their Golden Boot awards in Brisbane on Friday, while a presentation will be held for Hawkins in Halifax on Friday.

IRL Chair Troy Grant said: “On behalf of the International Rugby League Board, I wish to congratulate Harry Grant, Julia Robinson and Rob Hawkins for their outstanding performances at international level in 2025.

“Harry showcased his skill and leadership in the first Ashes Series for 22-years and played a key role in Australia’s win over their great rivals. He constantly had the England defence backpedalling with his clever dummy half running, topped the tackle count for the Kangaroos, captained Australia at Liverpool and scored a brilliant try to blow the match open at Leeds.

“None of that was a surprise to those of us who are fortunate to watch him play week-in and week-out for Melbourne Storm or for Queensland in State of Origin but for Harry to perform at that level – and with the same consistency - on the international stage, confirms his standing as one of the game’s best players.

“Julia was another who confirmed her status as one of the truly great outside backs of the women’s game with standout performances against England in Las Vegas, Samoa at Suncorp Stadium and New Zealand at Eden Park and in the Pacific Cup final at CommBank Stadium.

“Her try against Samoa elevated women’s rugby league to another level, as fans around the world marvelled at Julia’s ability to time her run perfectly and fly through the air like a superhero to catch Jesse Southwell’s cross-field kick and score.

“Not many players have the ability to do what Julia did but through a combination of hard work and talent she has been regularly pushing the boundaries and her highlights reel is full of spectacular tries and big plays.

“Rob also knows how to produce the big moments when they matter and he was sensational for England in a closely fought Ashes Series against the Wheelaroos.

“In the end, it was the experience of the world champions and the skill, speed and ability of players like Rob that proved the difference, but Australia showed they will be a force to reckon with at RLWC26.

“Rob scored five tries in two matches to help secure his second consecutive Golden Boot – a feat that had never previously been done in the 41 years since the legendary Wally Lewis was crowned the inaugural winner in 1984.

“At just 23-years-of-age, Rob could soon be challenging Johnathan Thurston’s record of three Golden Boot awards as he has already joined Andrew Johns, Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith as dual Golden Boot winners.”

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

The 2025 IRL Golden Boot finalists were:

Men

• Dylan Brown (New Zealand)
• Harry Grant (Australia)
• Payne Haas (Samoa)
• Cameron Munster (Australia)
• Joseph Tapine (New Zealand)

Women

• Yasmin Clydsdale (Australia)
• Chantay Kiria-Ratu (Cook Islands)
• Apii Nicholls (New Zealand)
• Julia Robinson (Australia)
• Tamika Upton (Australia)

Wheelchair

• Jack Brown (England)
• Joseph Calcott (Ireland)
• Nathan Collins (England)
• Rob Hawkins (England)
• Bayley McKenna (Australia)
• Zac Schumacher (Australia)

The Men’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot was judged by Golden Cap recipients Darren Lockyer (Australia), Cameron Smith (Australia), Ruben Wiki (New Zealand), James Graham (England) and Petero Civoniceva (Australia/Fiji), who are among just nine players to have played 50 or more internationals.

The Women’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot winner was chosen 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. 

The Wheelchair 2025 IRL Golden Boot judges were Malcolm Kielty, a founder of the game, IRL Wheelchair Rugby League Advisory Group Chair Niel Wood, long serving player, coach, referee and administrator David Butler, NRL Wheelchair Chair Darren Gocher and former Wheelchair Rugby League Australia Chair Martin Meredith.

IRL Chair Troy Grant said: “International Rugby League is fortunate to have such esteemed judging panels, with the greats of the Men’s and Women’s game choosing the best of the current crop each year and those instrumental in the establishment and growth of Wheelchair Rugby League picking the Wheelchair Player of the Year.

“On behalf of the IRL, I would like to thank all of the judges for their dedication, commitment and impartiality.

“The Men’s Golden Boot award, in particular, was a difficult assignment as for the first time there was two prestigious tournaments or series – the Pacific Championships and The Ashes – being played at the same time on opposite sides of the world.

“Each of the winners is worthy of their place among the select group of Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair players to have won the IRL Golden Boot award.”

About the judges

Men

• Darren Lockyer played a record 59 Tests for Australia, captaining the Kangaroos on 38 occasions, and is a two-time winner of the Golden Boot in 2003 and 2006.
• Cameron Smith captained Australia in 33 of his 56 Test appearances and led the Kangaroos to World Cup success in 2013 and 2017. He won the Golden Boot in 2007 and 2017.
• Ruben Wiki, who has Maori and Samoan heritage, played a record 55 Tests for New Zealand and captained the Kiwis on 18 occasions, including their historic 2005 Tri-Nations triumph.
• James Graham made a record 44 international appearances for England, including eight as captain, and played a further nine matches for Great Britain.
• Petero Civoniceva played for Australia in 45 internationals before representing his Fijian heritage at the 2013 World Cup and again in 2014, making six appearances for the Bati.

Women

• 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 a 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.

Wheelchair

• Malcolm Kielty MBE: A pioneer of Wheelchair Rugby League and one of the founders of the game.
• Martin Meredith OAM: Former Wheelchair Rugby League Australia Chair, ex-Manly Sea Eagles player and Halifax Challenge Cup winner.
• Niel Wood: IRL Wheelchair Rugby League Advisory Group (WRLAG) Chair
  David Butler: IRL Wheelchair Rugby League Advisory Group Secretary; long serving official, player and referee.
• Darren Gocher: NRL Wheelchair Chair, Family of League CEO.

IRL Golden Boot winners

Men

• 1984 - Wally Lewis (Australia)
• 1985 - Brett Kenny (Australia)
• 1986 - Garry Jack (Australia)
• 1987 - Hugh McGahan (New Zealand)/Peter Sterling (Australia)
• 1988 - Ellery Hanley (England)
• 1989 - Mal Meninga (Australia)
• 1990 - Garry Schofield (England)
• 1991-98 - 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 - Andy Farrell (England)
• 2005 - Anthony Minichiello (Australia)
• 2006 - Darren Lockyer (Australia)
• 2007 - Cameron Smith (Australia)
• 2008 - Billy Slater (Australia)
• 2009 - Greg Inglis (Australia)
• 2010 - Benji Marshall (New Zealand)
• 2011 - Johnathan Thurston (Australia)
• 2012 - Kevin Sinfield (England)
• 2013 - Johnathan Thurston (Australia)
• 2014 - Shaun Johnson (New Zealand)
• 2015 - Johnathan Thurston (Australia)
• 2016 - Cooper Cronk (Australia)
• 2017 - Cameron Smith (Australia)
• 2018 - Tommy Makinson (England)
• 2019 - Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (New Zealand)
• 2020-21 - No award given
• 2022 - Joey Manu (New Zealand)
• 2023 - James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand)
• 2024 - Isaah Yeo (Australia)
• 2025 - Harry Grant (Australia)

Women

• 2018 - Isabelle Kelly (Australia)
• 2019 - Jessica Sergis (Australia)
• 2020-21 - No award given
• 2022 - Raecene McGregor (New Zealand)
• 2023 - Georgia Hale (New Zealand)
• 2024 - Tarryn Aiken (Australia)
• 2025 - Julia Robinson (Australia)

Wheelchair

• 2019 - Jack Brown (England)
• 2020-21 - No award given
• 2022 - Sebastien Bechara (England)
• 2023 - Jeremey Bourson (France)
• 2024 - Rob Hawkins (England)
• 2025 - Rob Hawkins (England)