OPINION: So, my colleague Mark St John reckons the Golden Boot award has descended into farce after James Tedesco lost out to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

You can read Mark’s view, here.

He writes that James Tedesco, because of his fine club form with the Roosters and exploits with NSW, is more deserving of the Golden Boot.

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The grand final try and the last-minute winner in Origin III were brilliant clutch moments.

But Mark has, sadly, neglected the very criteria by which the rules of the award are decided. He’s not alone, either.

Here’s a wee history lesson. In 2017, the award was decided by Rugby League World Magazine. Then the International Rugby League bought it, and made the decision to give it to players with the best international performances in the year.

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So in 2018, when Tommy Makinson won the award it was deserved. He scored four tries in four Tests, including a hat-trick at Anfield against the Kiwis.

Cue outrage from Australia.

“I can’t believe the best player in the world is a person I’ve never seen play,” Brad Fittler said.

Here’s a novel idea Freddy, try watching him play, then maybe, just maybe, you might be in a better position to understand that his performances warranted that award because as per the IRL’s criteria, he was the best player in the world.

Tommy Makinson of England scores a try during the International Series Test match between England and New Zealand Source: Getty Images

Is it a sense of entitlement that evokes this reaction every year? Who knows, but the crux of the matter is – and here’s another mad-cap suggestion on a Monday lunchtime as I reach for another coffee – Australia don’t play enough Test matches.

*****

Tests played by league’s elite since the 2017 World Cup

Australia – 4 (2, 2018 + 2, 2019)

England/Great Britain – 9 (5, 2018 as England + 4, 2019 as Great Britain)

Fiji – 4 (1,2018 + 3, 2019)

New Zealand – 9 (5, 2018 + 4, 2019

Papua New Guinea – 4 (1, 2018 + 3, 2019)

Samoa – 3 (1,2018 + 2, 2019)

Tonga – 5 (2, 2018 + 3, 2019)

*****

Tonga beating Australia and Great Britain, and Papua New Guinea’s first win over the Lions in 29 years shows there is a thirst for the game outside of the week-to-week tedium of club football.

Therefore, how can a nation expect its player, Tedesco in this case, to win the title when the Kangaroos have turned out just four times since the 2017 World Cup final?

The very point of this award is to celebrate greatness on the international stage.

So with just four games – a loss and a win against both Tonga and New Zealand – it is an incredibly small sample size for an Australian player to have any hope of winning it.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck of the Kiwis charges forward Source: Getty Images

If you play fewer Tests – the format of the game on which the prize is judged – your chances of winning a prestigious award decrease. Who da thunk it?

Contrast that with the number of fixtures the world’s other nations and Tedesco is immediately up against it.

That doesn’t even take into account his performances in those two Test matches this year, either.

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A good win against the Kiwis in which he wasn’t the best player in an Australia jersey – let alone on the park – was followed by the defeat to Tonga.

You may remember with just a handful of seconds left in that game, Tedesco had a huge overlap with the line begging and chucked a wayward cut-out pass to winger Nick Cotric. They blew the game, Tonga had won.

And in his post-match press dealings Tedesco himself admitted he hadn’t been good enough to be crowned the world’s best.

“I think it’s based on international games, so I don’t think I’ll get it to be honest,” Tedesco said.

James Tedesco of Australia is tackled by William Hopoate of Tonga Source: AAP

“I needed to be better with that last pass. With everyone saying how good I am, I still have a lot of stuff to work on – it’s good to have that little wake-up call.”

The man himself said it, the results said it, and Australia’s lack of games said it.

Tuivasa-Sheck has played four Tests this year. He won all but one of them, and in the three they were victorious he broke the game open with elusive footwork, blistering speed and finesse.

He deserved to win the award. He is one of the world’s best and delivered on the international stage. Tedesco is undoubtedly one of the sport’s finest talents, but in a Kangaroos jumper he came up short.

Anybody who thinks he deserves to win the Golden Boot, just hasn’t read the rules.