The two Staceys highlighted a night featuring impressive One New Zealand Warriors links at the International Rugby League awards at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday.
Held three days out from the men’s and women’s Rugby League World Cup finals, the first accolade went to Kiwi Ferns centre Stacey Waaka, winning the women’s Golden Boot award after a string of outstanding displays in the tournament.
Voted the players’ player of the year by her NRLW teammates this season, Waaka scored twice in her Kiwi Ferns Test debut against Fiji and has added two hat-tricks to boast nine tries in her four appearances.
She became the first Warriors player and the third New Zealander to win the award.
The other nominees for the award were Waaka’s Kiwi Ferns and One New Zealand Warriors clubmate Apii Nicholls, New Zealand teammate Raecene McGrgeor¸ Abbi Church (Jillaroos), Evania Isa'ako (Fetu Samoa), Olivia Kernick (Jillaroos), Tamika Upton (Jillaroos) and Luisa Yaranamua (Fiji Bulikula).
Later the spotlight was on rugby league legend Stacey Jones who was among the first inductees to the IRL Hall of Legends.
A former Golden Boot winner in 2002, the former Kiwi captain and Warriors great appeared in 46 Tests for New Zealand from 1995-2006.
Others with Warriors links recognised for their stellar international careers were ex-Kiwi captain Mark Graham, the Warriors’ 1999-2000 head coach, and another former New Zealand skipper and Warriors front rower Ruben Wiki, who played a record 55 Tests from 1994-2006.
Of the six women’s players inducted into the Hall of Legends, three were former Kiwi Ferns – Luisa Avaiki, Honey Hireme-Smiler and Trish Hina.
Avaiki played 25 Tests from 1995-2008 and in 2018 became the first coach of the Warriors’ inaugural NRLW side.
Hireme-Smiler, a 32 Test international, signed with the Warriors for the 2019 season but didn’t play as she looked after her gravely ill mother.
The Golden Boot-Hall of Legends occasion was highlighted by Waaka and Kiwi fullback Kalyn Ponga giving New Zealand the Golden Boot double for the third time in five seasons after Joey Manu and Raecene McGregor were honoured in 2022 and James Fisher-Harris and Georgia Hale in 2023.
Ponga, spectacular in his first two Test appearances, headed his Kiwi teammate Casey McLean, New Zealand-born pair Francis Manuleleua (Samoa) and Robert Toia (Tonga) plus former One New Zealand Warriors fullback Reece Walsh (Kangaroos).
Both the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns added a memorable touch to the night by attending en masse in support of their teammates and the New Zealand legends being honoured.
The Ferns performed a haka after Waaka received her award with the Kiwis responding similarly for Ponga. Later the Kiwi Ferns and Kiwis combined with a haka to honour the Hall of Legends inductees who were in attendance.
