This was published 9 years ago
Shaun Johnson wins Golden Boot as league's best player
By Sarah Harvey
Kiwis and Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson has been named rugby league's best player, becoming just the fourth New Zealander to win the world Golden Boot award.
Johnson was chosen as the winner out of six nominees selected by a 13-person panel of international judges, getting almost twice as many votes as his nearest rival, English forward Sam Burgess, who has recently switched to rugby.
Numero uno: Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson has capped off an impressive 2014 season after winning the golden boot as league's best player. Credit: Getty Images
Kiwi Jesse Bromwich was also nominated for the final six.
The other New Zealanders to have won the award are Hugh McGahan, Stacey Jones and Benji Marshall.
Johnson and Bromwich were named in a World XIII, along with Kiwis team-mates Dean Whare, Simon Mannering, Manu Vatuvei and Kevin Proctor.
Johnson was a key player in the Kiwis' Four Nations final triumph over Australia last month and was named the player of the series.
It followed a solid year for Johnson at the Warriors, where he consolidated his position as one of the leading playmakers in the NRL.
Johnson told PA it was "unreal" to have won the award.
"Being a rugby league fan growing up, I always knew about the Golden Boot award," he said.
"I was pretty aware of the players who'd won it before because they were players that I grew up watching, like Stacey Jones and Andrew Johns. Then there were the current players that I admire, like [Johnathan] Thurston.
"I felt I finished the year really well and was able to take that into the Four Nations and was really happy with how I played for the Kiwis."
The panel of 13 judges included representatives from Australia, England, France and New Zealand, including former Golden Boot winner Garry Schofield, ex-Great Britain coach Brian Noble and past Kiwi internationals Robbie Hunter-Paul and Daryl Halligan.
"As is always the case with the Rugby League World Golden Boot, we asked the judges to consider the performances on the international stage first and foremost, and it's undeniable that Shaun Johnson had the biggest impact at that level in 2014," Rugby League World editor Gareth Walker told PA.
"Throughout the entire tournament he provided a devastating mix of organising the New Zealand side and producing moments of individual brilliance himself."
Votes:
Shaun Johnson 44 points.
Sam Burgess 23.
James Graham and Greg Inglis 18.
Johnathan Thurston 13.
Jesse Bromwich 2.