Well the Rugby League International Federation awards were held last night. I know, I know….I didn’t know they were on either!
Look, I’ll be honest with you, I look at this awards list and I don’t really know what to make of it. Does it just take in the international season, I would suggest it doesn’t. In that case it has to take in the entire season, and on that basis some of the selections are just ridiculous.
Take for instance the winner, Jarryd Hayne.
He hasn’t done much in the Four Nations so far because he’s been played out of position. He is behind the best fullback in the game, Billy Slater.
Hayne won the Dally M Medal on the back of a great second half of the season. His first half of the season was pretty average though and over all, you’d have to say Slater has played better in season 2009.
Anyway here is the list of awards:
Player of the Year: Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta and Australia)
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Hall (Leeds and England)
Referee of the Year: Shayne Hayne (Australia)
Team of the Year
Full-back: Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta and Australia)
Winger: Ryan Hall (Leeds and England)
Centre: Greg Inglis (Melbourne and Australia)
Stand-off: Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers and New Zealand)
Scrum-Half: Jonathan Thurston (North Queensland and Australia)
Prop: Fuifui Moimoi (Parramatta and New Zealand)
Hooker: Cameron Smith (Melbourne and Australia)
Second row: Gareth Ellis (Wests Tigers and England)
Loose Forward: Kevin Sinfield (Leeds and England)
Coach of the Year: Craig Bellamy (Melbourne and NSW).
Selected nations’ Player of the Year:
France: Olivier Elima
Ireland: Damien Blanch
PNG: David Mead
Samoa: Kylie Leuluai
Scotland: Iain Morrison
Tonga: Richard Fa’aoso
Wales: Jordan James
RLIF Spirit of Rugby League Award: Ken Arthurson.
Like I said, I really don’t understand many of these awards, but hey, its a punch of poms handing them out, so they don’t have much relevance to begin with.
