Hawkins, Ponga and Waaka win Golden Boot awards

Rob Hawkins has won the wheelchair rugby league Golden Boot for the third consecutive year, becoming the first player in any form of the sport to achieve that run. New Zealand’s Kalyn Ponga and Stacey Waaka won the men’s and women’s awards, respectively, recognising their performances during the calendar year.

Hawkins, 25, is only the second player to win three Golden Boots, after Johnathan Thurston. He has scored 19 tries for England at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, including five in an 86-28 semi-final win over Australia, and is due to face France in Friday’s final. Ponga starred in New Zealand’s 34-10 semi-final victory over Tonga, 23 days after breaking his forearm; Waaka scored a hat-trick in a 32-0 win over Samoa. The awards were announced in Brisbane alongside the first inductees to the IRL Hall of Legends.