11 Dec 2018

Record nominations for Halberg Awards

2:56 pm on 11 December 2018

A record 93 nominations have been received for the Halberg sports awards.

Forty-three sporting codes are represented in the nominations.

The supreme winner for the past two years Lisa Carrington is in the running again.

She is joined in the sportswoman award nominations by 22 other female athletes.

Among them are pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, Badminton horse trial winner Jonelle Price, rugby's Kendra Cocksedge, Michaela Blyde and Sarah Goss, cricketer Suzie Bates, shot putter Valerie Adams and snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott who won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics.

Lisa Carrington cradles her Supreme Halberg Award.

Lisa Carrington cradles her Supreme Halberg Award. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

World champion shot putter Tom Walsh, the 2017 winner, heads the 18 nominations from 12 sports for Sportsman of the Year.

The hotly contested category also includes All Black Brodie Retallick, Commonwealth Games gold medal weightlifer David Liti, boxing Commonwealth Games gold medallist David Nyika, freeskier Nico Porteous who won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics and motorsports Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin.

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Graphic: Supplied: Halberg Awards

Five time winner, Sophie Pascoe has again been nominated for the Para Athlete/Team of the Year.

The Para swimming champion is joined by nine others vying for the award.

There are 14 nominations from ten sports for team of the year which is notably missing the All Blacks are two test loses this year.

Among them are the All Black Sevens, Black Ferns Sevens, Commonwealth Games gold medal winning men's team sprint cyclists Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster and the under-17 women's football team.

Nominees for the Para Athlete-Team, Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team categories will all be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award.

Another notable ommission is in the coach of the year category where All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is missing from the 14 nominees.

But included is Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt who guided the Irish team to their first ever home win over the All Blacks and the Six Nations grand slam.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt (left) is among the nominees for coach of the year but All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has missed out. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Also nominated is Lisa Carrington's coach Gordon Walker who's nominated for the third straight year, sevens rugby coaches Allan Bunting and Clark Laidlaw, Tom Walsh's coach Dale Stevenson, football coach Leon Birnie and para swimming coach Roly Crichton.

A shortlist of finalists will be announced in January with the awards ceremony in Auckland on February 21st.

The Halberg awards have been held annually since 1963.

Full nominations list

Sportswoman of the Year:

Abby Erceg (football), Alana Barber (athletics), Caitlin Ryan (canoe racing), Eliza McCartney (athletics), Evie Corrigan (powerlifting), Jo Edwards MNZM (bowls), Joelle King (squash), Jonelle Price (equestrian), Julia Ratcliffe (athletics), Kendra Cocksedge (rugby union), Lisa Carrington (canoe), Lydia Ko (golf), Marquita Gelderman (orienteering), Michaela Blyde (rugby union), Olivia Eaton (surf lifesaving), Rushlee Buchanan (cycling), Ruth Croft (athletics), Sarah Goss (rugby union), Stacey Michelsen (hockey), Suzie Bates (cricket), Valerie Adams (athletics) and Zoe Sadowski-Synnott (snowboarding).

Sportsman of the Year:

Brodie Retallick (rugby union), Codie Taylor (rugby union), David Andrew Liti (Olympic weightlifting), David Nyika (boxing), George Bennett (cycling), Michael Venus (tennis), Nico Porteous (freeskiing), Paddy Chapman (croquet), Patrick Bevin (cycling), Richie Mo'unga (rugby), Ross Taylor (cricket), Sam Gaze (cycling), Sam Webster (cycling), Scott Dixon (motorsport), Scott McLaughlin (motorsport), Steven Kent (surf life saving) and Tim Robertson (orienteering), Tom Walsh (athletics).

Para Athlete/Team of the Year:

Adam Hall (para alpine skiing), Aotearoa NZ Para Waka Ama V12 (para waka ama), Commonwealth Games Para-Triples - Barry Wynks, Bruce Wakefield, Mark Noble (para bowls), Corey Peters (para alpine skiing), Holly Robinson (para athletics), Michael Johnson (para shooting), Nicole Murray (para cycling), Rachel Maia (para climbing) and Scott Martlew (para canoe racing), Sophie Pascoe (para swimming).

Team of the Year:

All Black Sevens (rugby union), Black Ferns Sevens (rugby union), Women's Doubles - Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy (squash), Men's Double Scull - John Storey and Chris Harris (rowing), Men's Team Sprint - Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster (cycling), NZ Indoor Cricket 17 years and under boys (indoor cricket), NZ Junior Black Fins (surf life saving), NZ Underwater Hockey Men (underwater hockey), NZ Underwater Hockey Women (underwater hockey), NZ Football Under 17 Women (football), NZ Women's Kayaking Team (canoe racing), Vantage Black Sticks Women (hockey), Women's Double Scull - Brooke Donoghue and Olivia Loe (rowing) and Women's Pair - Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler (rowing).

Coach of the Year:

Allan Bunting (rugby), Chris Waller (horse racing), Clark Laidlaw (rugby union), Dale Stevenson (athletics), Eugene Bareman (mixed martial arts), Gordon Walker (canoe), Jason Pocock (surf life saving), Jeremy McColl (athletics), Joe Schmidt (rugby union), Kiwi Campbell (waka ama), Leon Birnie (football), Marcelo Lopes (mixed martial arts), Raylene Bates MNZM (para athletics) and Roly Crichton (para swimming).

Emerging Talent:

Amelia Kerr (cricket), Anna Leat (football), Dylan McCullough (triathlon), Gaibreill Wainohu (waka ama), Hamish McLean (para swimming), Jocelyn Hong (ice figure skating), Josh Armit (yachting), Kanah Andrews-Nahu (Olympic weightlifting), Kyle Glogoski (baseball), Lewis Clareburt (swimming), Maddison-Lee Wesche (athletics), Maxwell Darling (basketball), Rebecca Jones (archery), Risaleaana Pouri-Lane (rugby union) and Zac Reid (surf life saving).