Slater claims Golden Boot

AAP | 29/11/08 | 0

Australia fullback Billy Slater has capped a remarkable season and further erased memories of his World Cup final howler by taking out rugby league's prestigious Golden Boot award.
  
The Melbourne star continued his impressive haul of individual honours on Saturday night when he won the prize awarded annually to the player adjudged best in the world.
  
The award was presented at the Rugby League Players' Association ceremony in Sydney, where Slater also took out the RLPA's representative player of the year award.
  
It capped a remarkable haul of trophies for Slater this season after he collected the Rugby League International Federation's player of the year and World Cup player of the tournament earlier this month.
  
The honour would help ease the heartache from Slater's wild pass that gifted New Zealand five-eighth Benji Marshall a pivotal try in the Kiwis' shock World Cup final win over the Kangaroos last weekend.
  
Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters skipper Braith Anasta was joint winner of the RLPA Players' Player of the year award, just a year after being voted the game's most overrated player.
  
Anasta shared the peer-voted honour with Penrith captain Petero Civoniceva, a standout in another disappointing season for the Panthers.
  
Parramatta's Nathan Cayless won the RLPA's New Zealand Representative Player of the Year while Manly and Australian flyer David Williams took out the Rookie of the Year.
  
Slater showed remarkable form throughout the season, scoring 14 tries as the Storm dominated the regular season, before eventually going down to Manly in the Grand Final.
  
He lost out to Matt Orford by the narrowest of margins for the NRL's Dally M Medal in September and shone for both Queensland and Australia.
  
Slater emerged from a group of eight nominees, including Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, New Zealand's Benji Marshall and England's Tony Peacock to take out the award which is run by Rugby League World magazine and considered the highest individual honour in the game.
  
A panel of 12 rugby league writers and former international stars, including Wally Lewis, Garry Schofield, Peter Sterling and Hugh McGahan cast votes for the award.
  
In other awards at the RLPA ceremony, Manly's Jason King was named the Dennis Tutty Clubman of the Year, Canberra's Alan Tongue the Education and Welfare Player of the Year and Shaun Fensom the NYC Player of the Year.
 
List of 2008  Rugby League Players Association Award Winners
   
   RLPA Players Player of the Year
   Braith Anasta and Petero Civoniceva
   
   2008 Golden Boot
   Billy Slater
   
   Rookie of the Year
   David Williams
   
   New Zealand Player of the Year
   Nathan Cayless
   
   Australian Player of the Year
   Billy Slater
   
   Dennis Tutty Clubman of the Year
   Jason King
   
   NYC Player of the Year
   Shaun Fensom
   
   Education Welfare Player of the Year
   Alan Tongue
   
   Education Welfare Officer of the Year
   Scot Czislowski