What's everyone's opinion on how they now judge the Golden Boot award and that it is actually based on International fixtures only rather than over the whole season?

James Tedesco would be my choice of the best RL player over the whole of the 2019 season

IRL Golden Boot nominees: John Bateman (Great Britain), Damien Cook (Australia), Payne Haas (Australia), Viliame Kikau (Fiji), Tui Lolohea (Tonga), Kevin Naiqama (Fiji), Sio Siua Taukeiaho (Tonga), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (New Zealand), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (New Zealand), Brandon Wakeham (Fiji).

How can 2 or 3 test matches be used to judge who is the worlds best player?

Your best player in the world for 2019 would be.....

Tui being in there shows what a joke of an award this is

I don't like the current criteria. I would say yes to international performance being the most important but it should also be on top of the club season and i agree that Tedesco already had it sown up with State of origin and club performance; best player in NRL match winning try in GF.

Tui being on the list is an absolute joke, but i guess if it is just on international games then not so bad. But in that case they should rename it international player of the year and not golden boot and the worlds best player that it seems to imply or most of the rugby league fraternity seem to believe.

Why? It's based entirely on international performances. Tui has been outstanding for Tonga.

I'd give it to the other Tongan though.

Yeah fair enough but golden boot implies best player in the world and it has signified this in the past.

If it is now just an international player of the year then call it that.

The likes of Tui possibly winning the award on this seasons performance ( i agree he has been good in internationals 2-3 games) makes a mockery of the list of legends that have graced the award in years gone by.

To be fair, most of the players in the list have had great seasons with their clubs too.

Tui really hasn’t been outstanding for Tonga. He’s provided mostly aimless kicking and handing the ball on to the next man. Woolf clearly knew what limitations Lolohea had and actively limited his involvement.

The story is what attracted the nomination, not the performance on the pitch. Which is embarrassing for the sport.

It’s the reason tommy makinson won it previous

Makinson at least played really well in the internationals. Lolohea hasn’t done anything above average.

I think people are still looking at Lolohea through Leeds blinkers. Been different player for Salford , and just guide Tonga to win over Oz with a rookie centre playing as the other half . If he wins it all credit to to the lad. Would not be as surprising as when Makinson won it for me. At least Brad Fittler will have heard of him

I’ve seen this argument a few times from people yet whenever I’ve seen Lolohea play either for Salford or Tonga I’ve rarely seen anything above average from him.

He certainly didn’t for Tonga. You say he guided Tonga to a win over Australia. Did he? Again I don’t remember him taking control of the game. His kicking was average. He didn’t take on the line or be involved in any thing attacking wise other than simply passing the ball on to the next player.

If he wins it it makes a joke of the award and devalues it.

As I said, people are desperately wanting the story to be true but it’s just not. He hasn’t gone from down and out to superstar.

He’s gone from an unprofessional player to a slightly less overweight average player.

Exactly had average games and that is it

Proof will be in the pudding next year when there's no Hastings at Salford and he'll be forced to shoulder responsibility.

Good luck to the lad, just the wrong player at the wrong time in very unbalanced Leeds team.