Keen competition for accolades

Valerie Adams is a Halberg Awards favourite.

Rotorua-born siblings Valerie and Steven Adams have been named as finalists for the upcoming Halberg Awards - New Zealand's highest accolades for sporting excellence.

Also among the finalists are Whakatane's Lisa Carrington and Steamers and Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick.

All four are up for supreme individual honours in the High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year categories.

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA centre Steven Adams and 2014 IRB Player of the Year Brodie Retallick are up against All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum and cyclist Sam Webster for the men's top prize.

Retallick beat his skipper to world player of the year honours while Webster is the least known of the quartet, meaning the Halberg looks likely to come down to a battle between the big lock's huge season, McCullum's maturation as a skipper and batsman and Adams' continued development in the NBA.

The Bay's top female athletes appear to have an even tougher road to hoe.

Double Olympic shotput champion Valerie Adams and K1 Olympic champion Lisa Carrington, who claimed her third straight K1 200m world sprint title in Moscow in August, are world champions in relatively minor sports alongside single sculls world champion Emma Twigg.

On the other hand, 17-year-old golfing sensation Lydia Ko has soared to become the second ranked women's player in the world in what is a truly global game.

The 2013 Halberg Supreme Award winner won three LPGA Tour Events in 2014 - including picking up the biggest payday in the history of women's golf at the season ending CME Group Tour Championship - and will likely start as the favourite for the award for a number of years to come.

Steve Hansen has been named as a finalist for Coach of the Year, along with Kiwis mentor Stephen Kearney, canoeing's Gordon Walker, rowing's Gary Hay and cycling's Anthony Peden.

Halberg Disability Sport Foundation chief executive Geoff Burgess said the nominees make up some of the best athletes and teams in the world.

"The Supreme Halberg Award will be hotly contested by a plethora of successful athletes who have reached great heights in their respective sports in 2014."

A total of 27 finalists have been named in six categories in what is the country's pre-eminent event to honour and celebrate sporting excellence.

Cycling has six athletes on the shortlist - the most of any of the 13 sports featured.

Of the finalists, 18 are in the running for the Supreme Halberg Award, with the winners of the Sportsman, Sportswoman, Disabled Sportsperson and Team of the Year award categories eligible for the top honour.

Choosing the winners will be members of a 28-strong voting panel made up of media representatives, former athletes and coaches.

The award winners will be announced at the 52nd Halberg Awards at Vector Arena, Auckland, on Wednesday, February 11.

Finalists for the 52nd Halberg Awards:

Sportswoman of the Year:

Emma Twigg (Rowing)
Lisa Carrington (Canoeing)
Lydia Ko (Golf)
Valerie Adams (Athletics)

Sportsman of the Year:

Brendon McCullum (Cricket)
Brodie Retallick (Rugby)
Richie McCaw (Rugby)
Sam Webster (Cycling)
Steven Adams (Basketball)

Disabled Sportsperson of the Year:

Corey Peters (Para-Skiing)
Emma Foy and Laura Fairweather - pilot (Para-Cycling)
Mary Fisher (Para-Swimming)
Sophie Pascoe (Para-Swimming)

Team of the Year:

Auckland City FC (Football)
Kiwis (Rugby League)
Men's Pair - Hamish Bond, Eric Murray (Rowing)
Men's Team Sprint - Ethan Mitchell, Eddie Dawkins and Sam Webster (Cycling)
NZ Men's 49er Class Team - Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (Yachting)

Emerging Talent:

Eliza McCartney (Athletics)
Regan Gough (Cycling)
Sam Gaze (Mountain Biking)
Zoe McBride (Rowing)

Coach of the Year:

Anthony Peden (Cycling)
Gary Hay (Rowing)
Gordon Walker (Canoeing)
Stephen Kearney (Rugby League)
Steve Hansen (Rugby)