Rugby League: Golden Glow Has Farrell on Top of World

Rugby league

Andy Farrell will lead Great Britain in Saturday's Tri-Nations final against Australia as the holder of the Golden Boot, awarded annually to the world's best player.

Farrell received the prize, as unexpected as it was deserved, last night in Leeds from Ellery Hanley who was the only previous British winner, in 1989. The Wigan and Great Britain captain emerged narrowly ahead of Australia's veteran prop Shane Webcke and their captain Darren Lockyer, the 2003 winner.

"From being a boy sitting on the terraces at Wigan this has always been the big award that everybody looks up to, and to get it off Ellery, who has always been one of my heroes, couldn't be better," Farrell said.

"Even to be mentioned in the same breath as former winners like him and Brett Kenny, another player I used to idolise when he played for Wigan, is a privilege for me. To win it is unbelievable but it's a team sport and the highest thing for British rugby league is to win the Tri-Nations. I'd swap all this for a win on Saturday."

It continues a memorable year for the 29-year-old who last month won his second Man of Steel award as the outstanding personality of the domestic season. But both awards would be surpassed by victory on Saturday, which Farrell has described as "the biggest match of my career".

He has suffered more than anyone from Britain's inter-national indignities in recent years, as their youngest captain at 21 on the disastrous 1996 tour of New Zealand when half the squad were sent home early to save money, and the game two years ago when he led the Lions in a record 64-10 humiliation by Australia in Sydney.

But Farrell's pride in leading his country has never diminished and on Saturday he will win his 34th consecutive cap, moving ahead of Martin Offiah to become Britain's fifth most-capped player. Hanley and Shaun Edwards will then be only two caps ahead of him although Farrell will have to keep playing for a few more years to match the record of 46 held by Garry Schofield and Mick Sullivan.

However, he will extend his record of consecutive matches as captain to 29 on Saturday and with 134 points he is fourth on Britain's all-time scoring list.

Farrell also beat Webcke and his Lions pack-mate Stuart Fielden to be named international forward of the year and Britain's achievement in winning three of their four matches to top the Tri-Nations table received further recognition with Brian Noble's award as best international coach. Lockyer won the backs' award and New Zealand's 19-year-old loose forward Sonny Bill Williams was named best international newcomer.

Britain's Russell Smith, the international referee of the year, is today expected to be appointed for the Tri-Nations final after Australia's complaints when the little-known New Zealander Glen Black took charge of their previous two games against the Lions.

It is the future of the Tri-Nations competition itself that will dominate at a meeting of the game's International Federation today, also in Leeds.

Despite the success of this year's competition, several Australian clubs have voiced opposition to it being repeated next autumn because of the demands on their players.

Two alternatives will be discussed - playing the Tri-Nations in Australia and New Zealand next year, or Great Britain making their first Ashes tour of Australia since 1992.

Leeds are preparing to search for a stop-gap hooker for their World Club Challenge against Canterbury Bulldogs in February after Matt Diskin suffered knee ligament damage during his international debut on Saturday. Diskin will miss the Tri-Nations final, although Noble said his remaining 22 players were available fit and fit.