Nominees for All Black Player of the Year award revealed

NEWS: New Zealand has revealed the nominees for their annual awards event.

Super Rugby stars are recognised with Player of the Year nominations.

Winners the Blues have Hoskins Sotutu, Harry Plummer and Katelyn Vahaakolo in contention.

Damian McKenzie and Billy Proctor round out the Super Rugby Pacific nominees.

Black Ferns co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu and loose forwards Layla Sae and Kaipo Olsen-Baker receive nods for the Super Rugby Aupiki Player of the Year category.

Olsen-Baker’s impressive season continued in the black jersey, nominated alongside Alana Bremner and Georgia Ponsonby for Black Ferns Player of the Year.

Forwards also dominate the All Blacks Player of the Year nominees.

Tyrel Lomax, Tupou Vaa’i and recently crowned World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, Wallace Sititi, are the three in contention

Lomax is also recognised in the running for the Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year, with fellow front row forward Tamaiti Williams, Black Fern Katelyn Vahaakolo, and Olympic gold medallist Risi Pouri-Lane.

Pouri-Lane captained the Black Ferns Sevens for much of 2024 and is nominated alongside Michaela Blyde and Jorja Miller for their Player of the Year.

For the All Blacks Sevens, Fehi Fineanganofo, Tepaea Cook-Savage and captain Dylan Collier are in the running for the Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year.

Three of New Zealand’s leading match officials, James Doleman, Maggie Cogger-Orr and Ben O’Keeffe, have been acknowledged for their domestic and international performances throughout the year with nominations for the New Zealand Referee of the Year award.

The Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year will be awarded to one of the major Player of the Year categories winners.

The New Zealand Coach of the Year and New Zealand Team of the Year will also be announced, with all teams in Black and their respective coaches eligible.

The award for outstanding contribution to New Zealand Rugby will also be announced on the night, in recent years Rob Fisher, Dr Deb Robinson and Anna Richards have been recipients.

The NZRPA Kirk Award will also be given to a player who has made an outstanding contribution on behalf of fellow professional players and led by example off the field.

The most recent recipient of this award was Melodie Robinson in 2021.

Award Nominees are;

New Zealand Referee of the Year
Ben O’Keeffe
Maggie Cogger-Orr
James Doleman

Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year
Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
Damian McKenzie (Chiefs)
Harry Plummer (Blues)
Billy Proctor (Hurricanes)

Super Rugby Aupiki Player of the Year
Katelyn Vahaakolo (Blues)
Layla Sae (Hurricanes Poua)
Kaipo Olsen-Baker (Matatū)
Kennedy Tukuafu (Chiefs Manawa)

Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year
Risi Pouri-Lane (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāi Tahu)
Tamaiti Williams (Ngāpuhi)
Tyrel Lomax (Ngai Tuhoe, Muaupoko)
Katelyn Vahaakolo (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto)

Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year
Fehi Fineanganofo
Tepaea Cook-Savage
Dylan Collier

Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year
Jorja Miller
Risi Pouri-Lane
Michaela Blyde

Black Ferns Player of the Year
Georgia Ponsonby
Alana Bremner
Kaipo Olsen-Baker

All Blacks Player of the Year
Tyrel Lomax
Tupou Vaa’i
Wallace Sititi

New Zealand Coach of the Year
All Teams in Black coaches eligible

New Zealand Team of the Year
All Teams in Black eligible