League shutout 'travesty' - Lowe

Former New Zealand league coach Graham Lowe says the Kiwis' exclusion from next month's Halberg Awards is a travesty of justice.

The finalists in the teams category are three world-champion rowing crews and the All Blacks.

The Silver Ferns, who won all eight tests last year, also missed the cut.

Lowe said the hurdles that the Kiwis had to climb were equal to, if not greater, than those in any other sport.

"I think they have to rethink the system, or the people picking them."

The Kiwis beat Australia 24-0 in the Tri-Nations final in late November for their first series win over their transtasman rivals since 1953. It was also the first time Australia had been kept scoreless in a test for 20 years.

It equalled the Kangaroos' biggest test loss and came after the Kiwis' 38-28 win in Sydney, their first in that city for 46 years.

Coach Brian McClennan is a finalist in the coach of the year section, with Graham Henry (All Blacks), Ruth Aitken (Silver Ferns) and Richard Tonks, the head coach of the rowing squad that won four gold medals at the world championships in Gifu, Japan.

The three crews in the teams final are Olympic champions Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh, and George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle.

Lowe believes the Kiwis were more deserving of a place than the All Blacks, who won 11 of their 12 internationals last year.

"When you take into consideration who the All Blacks were playing, the standard of opposition was pretty bloody ordinary," he said.

"The Kiwis faced the historic hurdle and the challenge of breaking the barrier of Australia's dominance.

"I am not being disrespectful to the All Blacks. I think they did what they had to do, but for me if you were picking out who was the best - one was a hell of a lot harder to do than the other."

New Zealand Rugby League executive chairman Selwyn Pearson said that although he was bitterly disappointed the Kiwis had missed out he was thrilled for the rowers.

"As much as we deserve to be there, no one deserves to get chucked out," he said.

The Halberg Trust defended its judging system and executive director Dave Currie said the teams category was the most difficult to assess.

"What we need to focus on is that it has been an absolutely outstanding year. We need to celebrate the diverse range of performances across a whole range of sports at the very top level of sport around the world.

"As a country, we need to think we have done well."

The judging panel consists of eight media representatives and 17 athletes and coaches.

US Open winner Michael Campbell heads the sportsman category which includes world-champion rower Mahe Drysdale, All Black first five-eighths Daniel Carter and world mountain running champion Jonathan Wyatt.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should the Kiwis have been included in the finalists for team of the year? If so, who would you drop from the list? Email us using the link below.