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Sport Nation
Why Brown is the clear favourite for the Golden Boot
Nicholas Quinlan • November 10th, 2025 4:46 pm
Following his performances in the Pacific Championship, both Andrew Voss and Greg Alexander think that Newcastle’s Dylan Brown is the undisputed favourite to win the Golden Boot.
Across the tournament, the five-eighth who will play for the Knights next season after signing a 10-year, $14 million deal, was dominant in the halves for New Zealand as they proceeded to claim the Pacific Cup.
In the three games he played, the 25-year-old ran for 476 metres, recorded seven try assists, and scored three tries, giving just a glimpse of his brilliance.
In particular, his performance in the final against Samoa on Sunday was his most impressive, having run for 192 metres, 10 tackle breaks, three line-break assists, and three try assists in the 36-14 win.
And that has Voss believing that his display across the tournament is enough to see him claim the IRL’s Golden Boot after being nominated for the award on Thursday.
“If he doesn’t win it, they have to retire the award because it doesn’t mean anything,” Voss said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“They’re not applying it correctly if he doesn’t win it. If the criteria is international performance, then he is a clear winner.”
Alexander also felt the same, even though, as he notes, the sample size upon which the award is being judged is very small.
“What he did in the three games in the Pacific Championships he was incredible,” Alexander exclaimed.
“And without doubt, he has been the international player of the year. It’s small sample size, so he wins the golden boot for mine.”
If Brown is to win the award, he would become the eighth New Zealand player to have done so since it was created in 1984.
