Smith wins player of the year award for fourth time
By AAP, 22 May 2009 AAP is a Roar Pro
Related coverage
- Western Force news
- ACT Brumbies news
- NSW Waratahs news
- Queensland Reds news
- Rugby Union news
- Super Rugby news
Wallabies and Brumbies flanker George Smith has won a fourth successive award for Australian Player of the Year in the Super 14. Smith has created a milestone by carrying off the prize for a fourth consecutive year.
It did however take a late surge for Smith to secure the 2009 award.
Journalists from around the country decided weekly on the top three Australian players from each Super 14 match involving the Waratahs, Reds, Western Force and Brumbies.
Their votes led to a 3-2-1 points allocation for each game.
Smith claimed full points for the Brumbies’ final three matches of the 2009 season, enabling him to overhaul the previous frontrunner, Waratahs and Wallabies prop Benn Robinson.
Smith edged him out in the final round to finish with 18 points.
Robinson was second on 16 points, followed in equal third position on 14 points by the Western Forces teenage utility back James O’Connor and Queensland Reds centre/winger Digby Ioane.
The 2009 Rookie of the Year award went to Queensland Reds prop Laurie Weeks.
Coach of the Series was awarded to Chris Hickey from the Waratahs, the side finishing fifth in the competition and highest of the four Australian teams.
Stuart Dickinson won the referee’s award while Try of the Series went to Queensland Reds utility back Quade Cooper for his effort against the Highlanders in Week 9.
© AAP 2012Super 14 Awards
Player of the Series: George Smith
Rookie of the Series: Laurie Weeks
Coach of the Series: Chris Hickey
Referee of the Series: Stuart Dickinson
Try of the Series: Quade Cooper
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
The Crowd Says (8) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Rugby Union articles
- Will Super Rugby crowds continue their slide? (201)
- Will South African rugby force a Super 21 by 2018? (173)
- The real story of how John O’Neill turned Manchester City down (70)
- Dan Parks and the unsolved questions of expat rugby (65)
- Australian teams at Super disadvantage (58)
- Pocock set to be named new Force skipper (56)
- Can the ‘Tahs win the battle after losing the Waugh? (51)
- France turns to Parra and Trinh-Duc
- Rebels look to lift for formidable Blues in rugby trial
- Mr Fix-It Lucas wants to nail down No.10
- Force roost loses ‘Mother Hen’ Sharpe
- Victory beat Mariners with Kewell winner
- Waratahs romp to 83-5 trial win over Samoa A
- Quade Cooper’s return to the Reds goes up a gear
- Wales show Southern Hemisphere how to play running rugby (29)
- What opening matches of Six Nations taught us (19)
- Will Super Rugby crowds continue their slide? (202)
- Clinical Chiefs cost rusty Rebels in Corio (9)
- Six Nations shows rugby is a parochial game at heart (5)
- Goose’s Super Rugby up-and-comer XV for 2012 (29)
- What does the future hold for the Six Nations (50)
Jerry said | May 22nd 2009 @ 8:09am | Report comment
Am surprised Giteau didn’t pick this up, considering the Force beat all the other Aussie teams and he was their shining light by a long way. Haven’t been that impressed by Smith this season – perhaps its cause he’s not up to his usual high standards but I’ve seen him outplayed a number of times.
Nird99 said | May 22nd 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
As an avid Brumbies fan I watch each of their games. Smith was “outplayed” as you say a couple of times early in the season where he was a little bit quite, but he still pinched plenty of ball. Smith is one of the main reasons that the brumbies were in with a shot come finals time. He pinched and retained huge amounts of ball for the brumbies when it looked like they may lose it. His support play was fantastic and he set up a number of tries with his little runs late in games.
Standout for me.
Hoy said | May 22nd 2009 @ 8:47am | Report comment
I would say the standout player for Australian teams this season is Diggers. That bloke was a enegizer bunny this season, and it is such a shame that his shoulder is injured. I think he is right for the grand slam, and I hope his super form continues. He is pretty young, so hopefully plenty more years ahead of energizer behaviour.
MikeN said | May 22nd 2009 @ 10:35am | Report comment
While I am a big fan of Smith, and in no way want to downplay his contributions to the game, I think that it reflects badly on a sport when one player continually wins a best player competition. I am not saying that he didn’t deserve it or that things should be ‘fiddled’ to make him not win, just that I am dispointed that in all the players in our Super 14 teams, nobody has been able to lift their game to a level to beat him in four years. Does that mean that Smith is the ‘glass ceiling’ in Australian rugby?
Greg Russell said | May 22nd 2009 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
Benn Robinson coming second is interesting, as it’s very unusual for props to do well in this sort of thing (when was the last time a front-rower won a man-of-the-match award?). There’s a growing argument that Robinson is the next superstar of Australian rugby (joining Giteau, Smith, Mortlock, who else?).
Speaking of props: do any of the long-suffering Qld supporters out there – i.e., those people who feel they have to watch the Reds all the time – feel that Laurie Weeks is worth his award? If so, do people think he should have been recognized by Deans through Wallaby selection? It’s not as if Australian rugby is flush with talented props.
Jerry said | May 22nd 2009 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
Nird – Not just early in the season, he was completely outplayed by Waldrom in the Canes drubbing.
sportym said | May 22nd 2009 @ 10:53pm | Report comment
I thought that the best player award was decided by Reffs voting for players after each round . Is it really the journos? If it is I would be be good to know who they are? Does anyone know?
Bananas said | May 25th 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Puzzling how the try scored by O’Connor after a passing interchange with Shepherd and the Force backline didn’t feature in the judging. It did however feature in the highlights package at the end of the program. The production editors obviously rated it.