A RARE BREED T O HIS BOOTSTRAP S

KANGAROOS skipper Cameron Smith yesterday joined an elite group of Australian rugby league stars when he won the coveted Golden Boot Award.

Test teammates Billy Slater and Aaron Woods declared Smith a deserving winner in the lead- up to Saturday night’s World Cup final against England.

The Golden Boot winner was unveiled at a gala World Cup lunch in Brisbane, where Smith beat England’s Jermaine McGillvary, Tonga’s Jason Taumalolo and Fiji’s Suliasi Vunivalu.

Smith was the hot favourite after a dream season in which he won the Dally M, skippered Melbourne to the premiership and usurped Darren Lockyer as the mostcapped player in NRL history.

Smith won his first Golden Boot in 2007 and another victory yesterday catapulted the Maroons champion into the rarefied company of multiple winners.

Since the award’s inception 33 years ago, just three other players have claimed two or more Golden Boot triumphs: Andrew Johns ( 1999 and 2001), Lockyer ( 2003 and 2006) and Johnathan Thurston ( 2011, 2013 and 2015).

“I just love playing in the green and gold,” Smith said.

“I am proud of the Kangaroos and the great players who have worn the jumper. There has been plenty of speculation about my future, but I would be jumping the gun to say the World Cup final will be my last game.”

Slater said Smith was a worthy winner. “Cam has had one of his best seasons to date at 34 years of age,” he said.

Woods said Smith was league of his own.

“The year he has had has been phenomenal,” he said. “The bigger the game, the better he becomes.” in a