Kiwi pair strike gold at awards night
New Zealanders James Fisher-Harris and Georgia Hale have created Golden Boot history after being chosen as the respective 2023 men’s and women’s winners.
Fisher-Harris is the first prop to win the award since its inception in 1984 and will add the IRL Golden Boot to the Pacific Cup medal he received after leading the Kiwis to a record 30-0 defeat of the Kangaroos and his third consecutive NRL premiership ring with Penrith.
Hale is the first forward to win the women’s award, while Jérémy Bourson picked up the wheelchair award, becoming France’s first Golden Boot recipient in any discipline of the game. Hale and Bourson are both based in the northern hemisphere and were unable to attend.
The IRL Golden Boot is awarded each year to the best player in sanctioned rugby league international matches.
Previous Golden Boot winners Stacey Jones, Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Joey Manu were among the many current and former Kiwis to pay tribute to Fisher-Harris.
Former Kiwis coach Michael Maguire, who had charge of Fisher-Harris in all but one of his 15 appearances for New Zealand, and members of his coaching staff also sent messages of congratulations.
“I can't think of a better bloke to take out such a prestigious award, it’s thoroughly deserved,” Maguire said.
Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry was emotional as he told Hale she had been chosen by a panel of Jillaroos great Karyn Murphy, Kiwi dual code superstar Honey Hireme-Smiler and England 2017 World Cup prop turned rugby league commentator Danika Priim.
“I don’t think this award could go to a player more deserving than Georgia,” Henry said. “She is a professional on and off the field. Georgia does the things that other players don’t want to do on the footy field; the things that people don’t get rewarded for or recognised for.’’