Tim Ryan and Maddison Levi, two of rugby’s biggest breakout stars, were among the Queenslanders honoured tonight at the Rugby Australia Awards.
Winger Ryan, who celebrated his 21st on Wednesday, won two awards for Rookie of the Year and Try of the Year at the gala evening in Sydney.
Gold Coast product Levi knows something about scoring dynamic tries for Australia’s rugby sevens team. Her record of 69 tries in the HSBC SVNS series earned her Women’s Sevens Player of the Year for the second year running.
That’s without counting her record haul of 14 tries at the Paris Olympics.
The soaring career of outstanding Queensland Reds flanker Fraser McReight was also celebrated.
He went back-to-back as Australia’s Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year.
It is an astonishing feat of consistency by McReight, who finished ahead of ACT Brumbies duo Rob Valetini and Tom Wright for the gong.
It mirrors the high rating that his own Reds’ teammates have for McReight because they voted him Queensland’s best for the Pilecki Medal in July.
Across the whole Super Rugby Pacific competition, he finished Top 10 for ball carries and successful tackles.
On top of that, he was the elite figure for jackal turnovers in the competition, scored seven tries and link play contributed to many more.
Backrow warrior Valetini had his moment by securing the night’s major award with the John Eales Medal as Wallabies Player of the Year.
Matching his achievement of 2023 puts him on a pedestal with Michael Hooper (2020-21) and Israel Folau (2014-15) as the only back-to-back winners.
The warhorse has featured in all nine Tests this year and has more to come when the tour of Great Britain and Ireland kicks off next month.
Winger Maya Stewart was crowned Buildcorp Wallaroos Player of the Year after scoring nine tries in eight Tests and helping to inspire the team's historic triumph at the WXV 2 tournament in South Africa.
Last night was a dizzying sign of how far Ryan has come in six months.
His Try of the Year was his supreme solo effort against the Blues in the Anzac Round clash at Suncorp Stadium.
He beat three Blues defenders with pace and swerve in his show-stopper and left All Black Mark Tele’a in the blocks.
Nathan Lawson picked up Men's Sevens Player of the Year while Brumbies captain Siokapesi Palu was named Buildcorp Super Rugby Women's Player of the Year.
The Fedex Referee of the Year Award went to Nic Berry, who along with his significant Test commitments, was appointed to officiate the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific grand final.
The Wallabies Hall of Fame ushered in some decorated names.
Queensland’s Toutai Kefu, the power-running No.8 from the 1999 World Cup triumph, and athletic fullback Matthew Burke, from the same golden period, were inducted to the Wallabies Hall of Fame.
Selena Tranter (née Worsley), Cheryl McAfee (née Soon) and Emilee Barton (née Cherry) were inducted to the Australian Women's Rugby Hall of Fame.
Backrower Tranter’s rise from Downlands College to become a fixture in Wallaroos’ line-ups for three World Cups made her the first legend of women’s rugby in this country.
As Emilee Cherry, there was a 2016 Rio Olympic gold medal hung around the neck of a young women who played her first footy in Roma.
She was a matchwinner in Australia’s first World Series triumph in 2015-16 and the first Aussie to win World Rugby’s gong as World Sevens Player of the Year in 2014.
Powerfully, she was a pin-up for how skilful, versatile, elusive and successful a female footballer could be before AFLW, NRLW or Super W even existed.
Ian McGowan, from the Darling Downs, was honoured as the Andrew Cole Community Match Official of the Year for his work for rugby referees in Queensland Country.
2024 Rugby Australia Awards - winners list
John Eales Medal - Rob Valetini
Buildcorp Wallaroos Player of the Year - Maya Stewart
Shawn Mackay Award for Men's Sevens Player of the Year - Nathan Lawson
Shawn Mackay Award for Women's Sevens Player of the Year - Maddison Levi
Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year - Fraser McReight, Queensland Reds
Buildcorp Super Rugby Women's Player of the Year - Siokapesi Palu, ACT Brumbies
Rookie of the Year Award - Tim Ryan, Queensland Reds
Junior Men's Player of the Year - Toby Macpherson, ACT Brumbies
Junior Women's Player of the Year - Caitlyn Halse, NSW Waratahs
Try of the Year - Tim Ryan, Reds vs. Blues
Fedex Referee of the Year - Nic Berry
Nick Farr-Jones Spirit of Rugby Award - Graeme Tosch, Rugby Victoria
Joe French Award for Outstanding Contribution to Rugby - Kim Evans, Rugby Union South Australia
Geoff 'Bunter' Shaw Community Coach of the Year Award - James Barkell, NSW Rugby
Andrew Cole Community Match Official of the Year - Ian McGowan, Queensland Country Rugby Referees
Club of the Year - Wagga Wagga Junior Rugby Union Club
