Golden Boot Farce Calls Rule Change After Ponga Beats Walsh
New Zealand fullback Kalyn Ponga won the Golden Boot before the Rugby League World Cup final, beating Casey McLean and Reece Walsh. Fans and former players want the award decided after the final or based on a full year of club and rep football.
Kalyn Ponga has been named winner of the Golden Boot, rugby league's award for the best international player of 2026, and the decision has set off farce calls for a rule change. Furious fans and commentators say the New Zealand fullback was picked before the World Cup final, and after only two games at the tournament.
Ponga narrowly beat Kiwi teammate Casey McLean and Kangaroos fullback Reece Walsh. The award is judged on Test matches, so only games at the current Rugby League World Cup counted. It was announced before the final between Australia and New Zealand on Sunday night.
Why the pick divides opinion
Ponga did not play two full games. He appeared on track to be man of the match in the opener against Australia before leaving the field with a broken forearm. He returned just 23 days later and was brilliant in the semi-final win over Tonga.
Critics point to the numbers. Walsh has played three games, with five tries, five try-assists, five line-breaks and 16 tackle breaks. McLean has played four, with eight tries, one try-assist, 10 line-breaks and 26 tackle breaks.
Ponga has two tries, three try-assists, three line-breaks and six tackle breaks in two games.
A newspaper columnist known as The Oracle wrote on social media: "WHAT AN ABSOLUTE FARCE! Reece Walsh was absolutely robbed. His stats were off the chart."
Two fixes on the table
The first proposal is to decide the award only after the final. Former NRL coach Shane Flanagan said on radio he thought the current approach was "crazy".
"If it's out of those two fullbacks in the final, and you go one way, then all of a sudden we come around and one of those players score two or three tries and is man of the match in the final, surely they are the rep player of the year," Flanagan said.
The second is to go back to the old system, which weighed club and rep matches across the whole year. That included Super League games in England and State of Origin. The award was changed in 2018 to cover Tests only.
Former NRL star Jarrod Croker said on radio: "I always thought the Golden Boot was just the best player in the world from Super League, NRL, State of Origin. I think that's what it should be."
Journalist John Davidson said Ponga "played brilliantly in two Tests" but questioned whether he should win after two games. He wrote that he preferred the old system, under which Ponga's form for Newcastle would make him "more than worthy".
Australia and New Zealand meet in the World Cup final on Sunday night.
