Entry 9. 11th November
My last couple of entries have been concentrating on the list released at the start of the week concerning potential winners of the 2010 Golden Boot. Here are the last two names on the list:
BILLY SLATER
Slater previously won the Golden Boot award in 2008 and simply oozes class. A silky runner from anywhere on the field and a real predatory streak for tries make him arguably the best player in the world currently.
In truth the 2010 season has not been one of his most prolific, yet having said that he has still claimed ten tries and barring injury he should reach 200 games for Melbourne Storm next year along with fellow Australian international Cameron Smith.
Slater debuted in 2003, three months before his 20th birthday at the formidable Cronulla home Toyota Park and for the next couple of years his stock grew. In 2006 however he struggled with suspension and injury that restricted him to 14 appearances. One of those appearances was the Grand Final and Slater was in good form despite the Brisbane Broncos winning on the big occasion.
The following season he went through a good spell of form, setting up 20 tries over the course of the campaign and also scoring 9 tries in 8 games at one point.
He won Premierships with Melbourne in 2007 and 2009, although those successes have since been stripped from the club due to salary cap breaches.
Such was Slaters form in 2008 on the State of Origin, international and NRL plains that he was named Golden Boot winner and there is every chance he could do it again.
In 179 games for Melbourne Billy Slater has scorched over for 112 tries and at 27 he is just about approaching his prime.
SAM THAIDAY
Raw boned and ultra committed, Thaiday is tough, uncompromising yet also skilfull. He has been with Brisbane Broncos his entire professional career.
The 25 year old had made 127 appearances for Brisbane Broncos by the end of the 2010 season and in fairness this past season has been another one of progression for Thaiday. He debuted for the Broncos as an 18 year old at Suncorp Stadium in 2003 when the Bulldogs were in town. He made his Queensland State of Origin debut in 2006. After being used predominantly as a bench player, then Broncos boss Wayne Bennett switched Taiday to the starting line-up and amongst other changes, this made the Brisbane club the form team of the competition and eventual premiership winners.
His form in the second half of that 2006 season saw Thaiday come to the attention of the international selectors and his performances have grown at that level.
He was the Broncos player of the season in 2008 and has become a mainstay of Queensland State of Origin sides in the last few years. Perhaps an example of how Sam has improved over the last couple of years was demonstrated a couple of times in 2010 when he was first of all named official Man-of-the-Match against New Zealand in the ANZAC test and he was arguably the best forward on show during Australias recent 34-14 defeat of England. Sam would be my outside bet for the award.
However I don't have a say and each of the players would be worthy winners.
Showing posts with label Golden Boot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Golden Boot. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
#rugbyleague BLOG 2010/11: The Race for the Golden Boot Pt 2.
Entry 8. 10th November
Six players have been nominated for this year's Golden Boot and a seventh wildcard could enter the fray.
Each of the nominations have merits, obvious strengths, and are fine players in their own right.
On Monday I looked at Paul Gallen, James Graham and Shaun Kenny-Dowall. Today I'll look at another and pick my wildcard punt.
BENJI MARSHALL
For several years Benji Marshall has wowed the crowds in the NRL and certainly since working with Tim Sheens the talented halfback has taken his game to a whole new level.
The 25 year old was first graded in the NRL as a precocious teenager in 2003 and made his debut for Wests Tigers in a Round 20 game against Newcastle Knights. After leaving his native New Zealand, he went on to play for the formidable Australian Schoolboys after being offered a rugby scholarship by a school in Queensland.
He looked set to add to his experience in 2004 and helped guide Wests to win the World Sevens event before two dislocated shoulders brought an end to his season.
The following year he was back and better than ever. He played 27 games for Wests during the season and scored 15 tries as the merged club won the Premiership for the first time.
Once again, injury intervened in 2006 and again in 2007. It looked like another frustrating season lay infront of Marshall in 2008. He opened the season as part of a team that defeated St George 24-16 but only played one further game in the first 9 weeks. Thankfully for him and the Tigers, his return saw him again take up an important role and he was at his best when the Bulldogs were vanquished 56-4, scoring a try, laying a couple on and kicking 8 goals for a 20 point haul.
That momentum was carried into the 2008 World Cup and Marshall got better as the tournament went
on, playing a key role in a semi-final defeat of England before impressing against Australia in the final when the Kiwis won in excellent fashion 34-20.
2009 signalled a change for Marshall as he switched from stand-off to scrum half. Initially the changeover was slow but when Benji got up to speed with the position he excelled. This term has seen Marshall return to the blistering form of 2005. In 27 NRL matches he scored 12 tries, kicked 76 goals and 3 drop goals while he has really found his form in the Four Nations, leading from the front against England and conjuring a couple of plays when the Kiwis backs were to the walls last weekend.
He has now appeared 130 times for the Tigers, scoring 53 tries, kicking 207 goals and those three drop goals for 629 points.
My Wildcard pick would be none other than
DARREN LOCKYER
For 333 games Darren Lockyer has lit up the NRL and in 52 tests for Australia, he has done the same thing. Lockyer has been around the top end of the NRL for 15 long years and that looks set to continue. He made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos way back in June 1995 and despite a couple of niggling injuries, he was still going strong with 18 appearances for the Broncos this past season.
Just the sheer length of his honours board suggest he is a living legend down under and such praise is well deserved. Not only is he a true world class stand-off with the guile and knowhow to unlock a defence, for much of his early career he was also a wonderful fullback and a more than useful goal-kicker. He is a State of Origin veteran for Queensland and years after his retirement, Lockyer is sure to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Wally Lewis and Mal Meninga such has been his influence on that arena. Lockyer has also appeared in Australain World Cup campaigns in 2000 and 2008 and even appeared in four tests for the Super League Australian team during the great rugby war that rocked a nation between 1995 and 1997.
Having broken the Australian records for most international appearances and most international tries, I think he would be a great choice, particularly if he can inspire the Australians to Four Nations glory in his own back yard of Brisbane this weekend.
Long may his reign continue.
Six players have been nominated for this year's Golden Boot and a seventh wildcard could enter the fray.
Each of the nominations have merits, obvious strengths, and are fine players in their own right.
On Monday I looked at Paul Gallen, James Graham and Shaun Kenny-Dowall. Today I'll look at another and pick my wildcard punt.
BENJI MARSHALL
For several years Benji Marshall has wowed the crowds in the NRL and certainly since working with Tim Sheens the talented halfback has taken his game to a whole new level.
The 25 year old was first graded in the NRL as a precocious teenager in 2003 and made his debut for Wests Tigers in a Round 20 game against Newcastle Knights. After leaving his native New Zealand, he went on to play for the formidable Australian Schoolboys after being offered a rugby scholarship by a school in Queensland.
He looked set to add to his experience in 2004 and helped guide Wests to win the World Sevens event before two dislocated shoulders brought an end to his season.
The following year he was back and better than ever. He played 27 games for Wests during the season and scored 15 tries as the merged club won the Premiership for the first time.
Once again, injury intervened in 2006 and again in 2007. It looked like another frustrating season lay infront of Marshall in 2008. He opened the season as part of a team that defeated St George 24-16 but only played one further game in the first 9 weeks. Thankfully for him and the Tigers, his return saw him again take up an important role and he was at his best when the Bulldogs were vanquished 56-4, scoring a try, laying a couple on and kicking 8 goals for a 20 point haul.
That momentum was carried into the 2008 World Cup and Marshall got better as the tournament went
on, playing a key role in a semi-final defeat of England before impressing against Australia in the final when the Kiwis won in excellent fashion 34-20.
2009 signalled a change for Marshall as he switched from stand-off to scrum half. Initially the changeover was slow but when Benji got up to speed with the position he excelled. This term has seen Marshall return to the blistering form of 2005. In 27 NRL matches he scored 12 tries, kicked 76 goals and 3 drop goals while he has really found his form in the Four Nations, leading from the front against England and conjuring a couple of plays when the Kiwis backs were to the walls last weekend.
He has now appeared 130 times for the Tigers, scoring 53 tries, kicking 207 goals and those three drop goals for 629 points.
My Wildcard pick would be none other than
DARREN LOCKYER
For 333 games Darren Lockyer has lit up the NRL and in 52 tests for Australia, he has done the same thing. Lockyer has been around the top end of the NRL for 15 long years and that looks set to continue. He made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos way back in June 1995 and despite a couple of niggling injuries, he was still going strong with 18 appearances for the Broncos this past season.
Just the sheer length of his honours board suggest he is a living legend down under and such praise is well deserved. Not only is he a true world class stand-off with the guile and knowhow to unlock a defence, for much of his early career he was also a wonderful fullback and a more than useful goal-kicker. He is a State of Origin veteran for Queensland and years after his retirement, Lockyer is sure to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Wally Lewis and Mal Meninga such has been his influence on that arena. Lockyer has also appeared in Australain World Cup campaigns in 2000 and 2008 and even appeared in four tests for the Super League Australian team during the great rugby war that rocked a nation between 1995 and 1997.
Having broken the Australian records for most international appearances and most international tries, I think he would be a great choice, particularly if he can inspire the Australians to Four Nations glory in his own back yard of Brisbane this weekend.
Long may his reign continue.
Monday, 8 November 2010
#rugbyleague BLOG 2010/11: The Race for the Golden Boot
Entry 7. 8th November
Six players have been nominated for this year's Golden Boot and a seventh wildcard could enter the fray.
Each of the nominations have merits, obvious strengths, and are fine players in their own right. Over the next couple of days I'll give my take on them. Here are the first three.
Paul Gallen
The New South Wales and Cronulla Sharks forward is as tough as teak and has missed more than his fair share of games due to disciplinary issues but now at the age of 29 is approaching his zenith.
He debuted back in 2001 for Cronulla, and so far the Sharks have been his only professional club. After making his mark on the first team, Gallen suffered a bulging disc in his lower back during the 2006 pre-season which resulted in surgery and a super quick recovery time of just nine weeks. That season also saw Gallen debut for the NSW Origin team and he also earned selection to the Prime Minister's X111 squad that played Papua New Guinea and won 28-8 in Port Moresby.
During that close season he signed a four year deal with Cronulla and went on to appear in the 2008 Centenary Test for Australia against New Zealand. He has now played 14 test matches for his country and finally appears to be settling down from the controversial character that seemed to regularly flout the rules.
Gallen has made 180 appearances for the Sharks, scoring 40 tries and during a pheonomenal 2010 season, the workaholic made 795 tackes in 23 games, ran for 4056 metres and took the ball to defences 505 times.
James Graham
Scouser Graham is the only England player in with a shout of winning the Golden Boot and the 25 year old St Helens prop continues to win praise for his no-nonsense approach to the game.
He debuted for St Helens in 2003 and went on to win consecutive Challenge Cups with Saints in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
After winning the RL Man-of-Steel in 2008 and a place in the world thirteen, he continued his form into 2009, again winning selection to the world thirteen. James had another successful year in 2010, save for a loss of cool against Wigan in the Grand Final. He appeared 32 times for Saints and scored a respectable seven tries - not bad for a prop forward!
After leading the 2004 GB Academy side to a series victory against Australia, it was almost inevitable that Graham would take on a leadership role at some point in his career. That came during the recent Four Nations tournament when de to injuries to Jamie Peacock and then Adrian Morley, he was asked to skipper the side.
By the end of the 2010 domestic season Graham was closing in on 200 appearances for St Helens where he has also scored 46 tries.
With his contract up at the end of next season, he could well find himself in demand amongst the NRL clubs and following in the footsteps of England team-mate Sam Burgess.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall
6'5 giant Kenny-Dowall has earned rave reviews this past season, really claiming a spot for both his club, Sydney Roosters and the Kiwi National team.
Shaun first left his New Zealand home for Sydney in 2004 and worked his way through the junior grades at the Roosters before making his debut at the start of the 2007 season against South Sydney.
His first try hat-trick came three months later in a 64-30 rout of the North Queensland Cowboys and he claimed his first four-try haul against the Brisbane Broncos. This was the first time a Sydney Roosters player had done so for 35 years.
He finished the 2010 season with a Grand Final appearance against St George, but the Dragons won 32-8 to take the crown. Nevertheless with over 3500 running metres to his name and some mighty impressive stats which include 21 tries in 28 games, there is no doubting that Kenny-Dowall has emerged from simply a player of immense promise to one of undoubted talent.
His current club tally stands at 85 appearances, 58 tries and 3 goals, and the scary prospect is that Kenny-Dowall is just 22. I wonder how those stats will read at 32?
Kenny-Dowall's representative career began with the 2006 and 2007 Junior Kiwis and he toured with the All Gold's New Zealand 2007 squad and played against a "Northern Union select" at Warrington, he then made his full test bow against France. After missing out on selection to the Kiwi's 2008 World Cup Squad, he played for the Maori as they took on an Indigenous Dreamteam in a curtain-raiser to the World Cup Final.
During the current Four Nations he has become a mainstay in the centres and scored tries against both England and Australia.
Tomorrow I'll give my thoughts on the other nominations for the Golden Boot.
Six players have been nominated for this year's Golden Boot and a seventh wildcard could enter the fray.
Each of the nominations have merits, obvious strengths, and are fine players in their own right. Over the next couple of days I'll give my take on them. Here are the first three.
Paul Gallen
The New South Wales and Cronulla Sharks forward is as tough as teak and has missed more than his fair share of games due to disciplinary issues but now at the age of 29 is approaching his zenith.
He debuted back in 2001 for Cronulla, and so far the Sharks have been his only professional club. After making his mark on the first team, Gallen suffered a bulging disc in his lower back during the 2006 pre-season which resulted in surgery and a super quick recovery time of just nine weeks. That season also saw Gallen debut for the NSW Origin team and he also earned selection to the Prime Minister's X111 squad that played Papua New Guinea and won 28-8 in Port Moresby.
During that close season he signed a four year deal with Cronulla and went on to appear in the 2008 Centenary Test for Australia against New Zealand. He has now played 14 test matches for his country and finally appears to be settling down from the controversial character that seemed to regularly flout the rules.
Gallen has made 180 appearances for the Sharks, scoring 40 tries and during a pheonomenal 2010 season, the workaholic made 795 tackes in 23 games, ran for 4056 metres and took the ball to defences 505 times.
James Graham
Scouser Graham is the only England player in with a shout of winning the Golden Boot and the 25 year old St Helens prop continues to win praise for his no-nonsense approach to the game.
He debuted for St Helens in 2003 and went on to win consecutive Challenge Cups with Saints in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
After winning the RL Man-of-Steel in 2008 and a place in the world thirteen, he continued his form into 2009, again winning selection to the world thirteen. James had another successful year in 2010, save for a loss of cool against Wigan in the Grand Final. He appeared 32 times for Saints and scored a respectable seven tries - not bad for a prop forward!
After leading the 2004 GB Academy side to a series victory against Australia, it was almost inevitable that Graham would take on a leadership role at some point in his career. That came during the recent Four Nations tournament when de to injuries to Jamie Peacock and then Adrian Morley, he was asked to skipper the side.
By the end of the 2010 domestic season Graham was closing in on 200 appearances for St Helens where he has also scored 46 tries.
With his contract up at the end of next season, he could well find himself in demand amongst the NRL clubs and following in the footsteps of England team-mate Sam Burgess.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall
6'5 giant Kenny-Dowall has earned rave reviews this past season, really claiming a spot for both his club, Sydney Roosters and the Kiwi National team.
Shaun first left his New Zealand home for Sydney in 2004 and worked his way through the junior grades at the Roosters before making his debut at the start of the 2007 season against South Sydney.
His first try hat-trick came three months later in a 64-30 rout of the North Queensland Cowboys and he claimed his first four-try haul against the Brisbane Broncos. This was the first time a Sydney Roosters player had done so for 35 years.
He finished the 2010 season with a Grand Final appearance against St George, but the Dragons won 32-8 to take the crown. Nevertheless with over 3500 running metres to his name and some mighty impressive stats which include 21 tries in 28 games, there is no doubting that Kenny-Dowall has emerged from simply a player of immense promise to one of undoubted talent.
His current club tally stands at 85 appearances, 58 tries and 3 goals, and the scary prospect is that Kenny-Dowall is just 22. I wonder how those stats will read at 32?
Kenny-Dowall's representative career began with the 2006 and 2007 Junior Kiwis and he toured with the All Gold's New Zealand 2007 squad and played against a "Northern Union select" at Warrington, he then made his full test bow against France. After missing out on selection to the Kiwi's 2008 World Cup Squad, he played for the Maori as they took on an Indigenous Dreamteam in a curtain-raiser to the World Cup Final.
During the current Four Nations he has become a mainstay in the centres and scored tries against both England and Australia.
Tomorrow I'll give my thoughts on the other nominations for the Golden Boot.
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