The 25-year-old England wing received the 2026 wheelchair award on the eve of the World Cup final, confirming a run of dominance the sport had never seen.
Three years at the summit
Only one other rugby league player, Australian great Johnathan Thurston, has ever claimed three Golden Boots — and those were not consecutive. The Yorkshire Post called Hawkins's hat-trick "unprecedented" in the wheelchair code.
He saw off a shortlist crowded with proven talent, including England team-mate Joe Coyd and France's Jeremy Bourson, Nicolas Clausells and Dany Denuwelaere. Ireland captain Joe Calcott and Australia's Bayley McKenna and Adam Tannock were also nominated.
A ruthless semi-final in Wollongong
The award followed an 86-18 dismantling of hosts Australia at the WIN Entertainment Centre two days earlier. Hawkins crossed in the ninth and thirteenth minutes as the scoreboard ticked toward a 40-6 interval lead.
Mason Billington completed a first-half hat-trick, and Joe Coyd added two tries of his own before the break. After the restart Jack Brown crossed twice in quick succession, then Hawkins took over completely — scoring in the 53rd, 57th and 63rd minutes to register five tries and five conversions from five attempts. The "ruthless" victory, as the Yorkshire Post described it, sent England into a final against old rivals France.
A record still growing
Hawkins had already collected the Golden Boot in 2024 and 2025, after being voted International Wheelchair Player of the Year, and he was named Wheels of Steel winner in September 2026. On England's 2025 tour of Australia he scored eleven tries and six conversions across four matches.
With 19 World Cup tries for England and a final still to play in Wollongong, the Halifax Panthers wing's record shows no sign of slowing.
