From putting up posters of his idol on his bedroom wall to being presented with International Rugby League's highest individual honour from the Kangaroos great, Harry Grant has come a long way since aspiring to be the next Darren Lockyer as a child.
In a crowded field of finalists that also included his Melbourne Storm team-mate Cameron Munster and inspirational Toa Samoa prop Payne Haas, Grant pipped Kiwis duo Joseph Tapine and Dylan Brown to claim the 2025 IRL Golden Boot.
A Yeppoon Seagulls junior, Grant received the prestigious award at a ceremony in Brisbane on Friday following his performances in Australia's 3-0 Ashes win in England, where he captained the Kangaroos in the second match of the series.
After being presented with his Golden Boot by Lockyer, Grant was "outed" as a huge childhood fan of the NRL Hall of Famer by his mother Margie, who called out to ask if she could finally take down his posters of the former Australian captain.
“Like anyone in Queensland, I was a massive Queensland and Australian fan and loved Darren Lockyer and everything he did, so he sort of inspired me to play,” Grant said after the presentation.
“I knew he was from Roma which [meant] you had to take a bit of a pathway to get to where he got to and he inspired me.
“To receive that award off him, it's pretty cool and … hopefully what we're doing can inspire other kids to give it a crack.”
One of Australia’s top performers across the three Tests - claiming player-of-the-match honours at Headingley - Grant said he was humbled to receive the award and grateful for the opportunity to experience playing in an Ashes Series in England.
“With the Golden Boot, it's very humbling and obviously the list of names that's in the shortlist, but then the wider range of players that we got in our game, it's pretty humbling to receive it," Grant said.
“But you wouldn't be standing here without a team, your teammates and everyone that puts time into it.
“It was really enjoyable to be able to take our game internationally and play international footy overseas.
"It's a different experience playing in front of the crowds and those kinds of stadiums, and then it was also a very different brand of footy, playing against the Poms and the way that they play Super League week-in, week-out.
“It was a tough series and it was probably a lot more physical in a different way than what you're used to and the NRL's so fast and free-flowing whereas the Poms played a different sort of style of footy, a different brand and you do take a little bit of time to adjust and have that in your back pocket.
“But I think the big thing was we were rock solid in terms of our effort and what we put in, it was just our completion or the way that we executed things wasn't up to standard, but then you can go the other way and say that they [England] forced a fair bit of that with their unpredictability and the way that they did things.”
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said Grant deserved his award and also spoke about him being the ‘logical choice’ to captain the side when regular skipper Isaah Yeo was ruled out with injury in the Second Test.
“It's great to see Harry get the award,” Walters said. “I feel Harry's best football is still in front of him, but he's a great fellow to have on tour, and he's got that really strong leadership and casual style leadership that I am drawn to as well.
"He's not a dictator, he's a great person and a great team person as well.
“We're very fortunate that we've got about seven or eight club captains (in the Kangaroos), but Harry was a standout for me, particularly the position that he plays and his work at the Storm and with Queensland. In the leadership roles, he has been outstanding, so he was the logical choice for mine.”
The Men’s 2025 IRL Golden Boot was judged by Golden Cap recipients Darren Lockyer (Australia), Cameron Smith (Australia), Ruben Wiki (New Zealand), James Graham (England) and Petero Civoniceva (Australia / Fiji), who are among just nine players to have played 50 or more internationals.
The Women's Golden Boot was presented to Julia Robinson by Jillaroos great and NRL Hall of Famer Karyn Murphy after the Australian winger was unanimously voted the International Player of the Year ahead of team-mates Tamika Upton and Yasmin Clydsdale, Kiwi Ferns fullback Apii Nicholls and Cook Islands halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu.
The Wheelchair Golden Boot was presented to England's Rob Hawkins at a ceremony in Halifax on Friday after he edged Australian pair Bayley McKenna and Zac Schumacher to become the first player in any discipline to win the award in consecutive years.
