The present and the future were recognised at the NZRL awards when Kiwis captain Benji Marshall and promising young star Shaun Johnson picked up the major awards.
Marshall was named Kiwi Player of the Year while Johnson picked up the Rookie of the Year accolade at the awards dinner in Auckland last night.
Jason Taumalolo, who played in the winning Junior Kiwis team at Newcastle last month and was also a member of the North Queensland under-20s grand final side, was named the Junior Player of the Year.
"Every year we have a number of quality nominations and this year was no exception," said NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle.
"It's great to see the geographic spread of our winners which reinforces the fact that rugby league is going from strength to strength across New Zealand. It's a real positive for us to be able to acknowledge our players here and in Australia. They continue to support the game by playing for their country and are an inspiration to our younger players."
