Roger and Sonny add another accolade

[Guest]

Sonny Bill Williams and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck have added yet another accolade to their already impressive 2013 awards after the Kiwi-duo were this morning named in the Rugby League World Magazine Team of the Year.

Both were a part of the successful 2013 NRL campaign for the Roosters and also members of the Kiwi's World Cup Squad which finished runners up to Australia in November.

Williams also narrowly missed out on claiming the 2013 Golden Boot Award, presented by the magazine and voted for by international rugby league media, coming in third behind Australia's Johnathan Thurston and England's Sam Burgess.

Both were a part of the RLIF Team of the Year, awarded late last year with Williams named then as the International Player of the Year - adding to his Jack Gibson Medal in his debut season with the Tricolours.


WORLD XIII 2013
1 Billy Slater (Australia)
2 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (New Zealand)
3 Greg Inglis (Australia)
4 Jamie Lyon (Australia)
5 Brett Morris (Australia)
6 Johnathan Thurston (Australia)
7 Cooper Cronk (Australia)
8 Sam Burgess (England)
9 Cameron Smith (Australia)
10 James Graham (England)
11 Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
12 Greg Bird (Australia)
13 Paul Gallen (Australia)

[Rooster_6]

Sonny was very unlucky not to win the Golden Boot.

His NRL season was far superior to Thurston's and anyone who actually watched the World Cup would know that the 4 'man of the match' awards Thurston got were a joke. Only 1, arguably 2 of those awards did I think he was among the top 3 players on the field and it's what the media have used to justify the award.

Telling the judges to factor in World Cup performances over NRL performances is a joke too when you consider 95% of the matches had a minnow nation in them. If you want to find the World's best player look to the best games not games against dubious opposition.

The award lost a lot of credibility for mine when they gave it to Sinfield last year & it's taken another hit this year. Although at least Thurston is one of the best players in the world even if he didn't have a great season by his standards.

[Guest]

Sonny was very unlucky not to win the Golden Boot.

His NRL season was far superior to Thurston's and anyone who actually watched the World Cup would know that the 4 'man of the match' awards Thurston got were a joke. Only 1, arguably 2 of those awards did I think he was among the top 3 players on the field and it's what the media have used to justify the award.

Telling the judges to factor in World Cup performances over NRL performances is a joke too when you consider 95% of the matches had a minnow nation in them. If you want to find the World's best player look to the best games not games against dubious opposition.

The award lost a lot of credibility for mine when they gave it to Sinfield last year & it's taken another hit this year. Although at least Thurston is one of the best players in the world even if he didn't have a great season by his standards.

GOLDEN BOOT VOTING 2013
1 Johnathan Thurston – 41 points
2 Sam Burgess – 34 points
3 Sonny Bill Williams – 23 points
4 Cameron Smith – 13 points
5 Danny Brough – 5 points
6 Cooper Cronk – 1 point

[Guest]

I am more than ok with JT winning it. Biggest joke is burgess polling 2nd.

[Tommy Smith]

Very well said, Rooster_6.

JT had an ordinary club season by his standards and yet somehow thats not as important as a few dubious MotM Awards vs Ireland and Fiji.

SBW still had a pretty good RLWC but he was a colossus in leading a team from 13th in 2012 to Premiers in 2013.

And to think Burgess also finished ahead of him! It is, like the Dally M and CCM, a pathetically adjudged award.

[The Axe]

I think this is about housekeeping - to minimise the fall out of the best player in the world leaving the NRL. He would have won it if he stayed in the NRL. Am I wrong?

[Guest]

Any awards that are judged by the media and selectors as in the Churchill and SOO man of the match and player of the series are always going to draw a debate.

[PKR]

I sometimes wonder about awards. Good example is the 2013 Grand Final ..... Daly Cherry-Evans. Come on, that had to be the biggest load of rubbish from the selectors of the award.

[Guest]

I was always the best player in my team but the coach always gave the best n Fairest to his kid.