By El Capitan
October 9th 2008 @ 12:05am
Loading ...What was the sporting highlight of winter?
Now that the football season is finished across the country (bar the A-League and the rugby league World Cup), I thought it would be timely to discuss the year that was in the football codes.
Some of the more memorable moments include all the saga of having a Kiwi coach the Wallabies, Sonny Bill Williams leaving mid-season to play rugby union in France, “Lethal” Mathews resigning from the Lions, and the Socceroos qualifying for the next stage of the World Cup.
I like to hear readers’ feedback on the memorable, the forgettable and the plain wacky sporting moments from this past winter season.
After all, it’s only five mont hs until the start of the next footy season!
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(24)
Redb said | October 9th 2008 @ 7:24am | Report comment
The emergence of Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and his 100+ goals.
Redb
True Tah said | October 9th 2008 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Redb,
I agree with that, it was a real feel good factor, and it was on the same weekend the wallabies got smoked by a rampant Bokke in Johannesburg.
After that i would have said the Wallabies winning our second game in South Africa since 1995.
El Capitan said | October 9th 2008 @ 8:18am | Report comment
Personaly, since I missed most of the winter by travelling to the UK (yeah I can hear you already, the UK’s summer really isn’t summer), my highlight was actually the thrashing of Man U at the hands of St Petersburg, and England upsetting Croatia at home for the World Cup Qualifiers. Not being an actuall “football” supporter it was kind on good watching the games in the pubs with mates who could explain the tatics to me.
The only other game I watched was the Wallabies getting thrashed by the Boks. Needless to say it was a quite time at the Walkabout Pub!
Brett McKay said | October 9th 2008 @ 8:35am | Report comment
a single highlight from four codes over ten months, this should be easy….
El Capitano, give the Crowd a challenge!!
Millster said | October 9th 2008 @ 9:04am | Report comment
Spain finally rising to their potential and winning the European Cup.
In the same tournament some of the sublime, ethereal play of the Dutch in the group stages (though they did not follow through when it mattered) - it was so utterly briliant that I even appreciated it against my beloved but hapless French.
And for an Aussie highlight for me it was the chick who unexpectedly won silver in the 100m hurdles in Beijing and who went absolutely ape with joy afterwards. Wonderful!
In the domestic codes, the Warrior’s finals run in the NRL was a potential fairy-tale that made me sit up and take note… especially as I have a huge soft spot for Ruben Wiki from my days of living in Canberra.
I’m not adding in Adelaide’s current achievements in the ACL which are unprecedented and monumentally important for Australian sport as that is a story for which we are yet to see the conclusion…
Harry said | October 9th 2008 @ 9:33am | Report comment
Thought hard about this, firstly thought the big Wallaby win over NZ in Sydney but that proved to be a false dawn. Instead I’ll nominate the two tries set up by Greg Inglis in State of Origin 2 as th most thrilling vision of the season for me.
El Capitan said | October 9th 2008 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Yeah I thought a combined effort on all football codes would be relevant, and a way to bring all factions of supporters together.
don’t forget the fairytale of the Giants winning the Superbowl as well.
Joe FC said | October 9th 2008 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
El Capitan
Celtic winning the SPL over Rangers on the last day of the season.
El Capitan said | October 9th 2008 @ 1:25pm | Report comment
Joe FC.
Ahh yes the grudge match in the Scottish Prem League.
I was lucky enough to watch the August 31st match. What a cracker that was. 6 goals in total I believe.
Joe FC said | October 9th 2008 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Yes El Capitan unfortunately ( from my perspective ) the score was the wrong way round.
Sid said | October 9th 2008 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
My footy highlight of 08 was the All Blacks v Springboks first test in Wellington. It was the first meeting since the world cup, and both sides had everything to prove. What resulted was hard, dazzling footy truly deserving of the greatest rivalry in world rugby.
Outside the football codes, I’d nominate Detroit v Pittsburg in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Pittsburg was down 3-1 in the series and needed the win to keep their cup hopes alive. They scored with 34.1 seconds remaining in the final period to draw level and take it to overtime. What followed was an amazing display of heart as the two exhausted sides relentlessly clawed at each other. Eventually, in the third period of overtime, Pittsburg put in the game winning goal. Detroit won the Cup in the next game but this was easily the game of the series and maybe the game of the season.
Also, no one can forget the Wimbledon final. The most emotionally exhausting game of tennis I’ve ever seen.
What a great year - and we’ve still got time for another All Blacks grand slam.
Bruce Walkley said | October 9th 2008 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
The Olympic marathon and the winner’s brilliant tactics have to be right up there.
Central North said | October 9th 2008 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Greg Inglis and his over the head, over the dead ball line, hail mary pass for Mark Gasnier to score in the Centenary league Test v NZ was pretty speccy for mine. And i’m a Rugby man!!
Brett McKay said | October 9th 2008 @ 2:50pm | Report comment
Cent-Nth, the double tap-back effort from Geyer then Quinn to Inglis in the Semis would have topped the Centenary Test effort if not Inglis’ foot being a micron offside. And after racking my head over this all day, I think that - depite it being a no-try - is my highlight…
Millster said | October 9th 2008 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
Symonds going fishing and doing some self-selection out of the cricket tour was another great highlight for me. A kind of “Darwin awards” worthy moment in terms of sports selection and the joy of seeing an arrogant twit shoot himself in the foot…
The Link said | October 9th 2008 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
Folau’s try was better in Origin III, masterful.
Michael C said | October 9th 2008 @ 7:11pm | Report comment
3rd time lucky - the perennial runners up - - PNG winning the AFL International Cup in a classic encounter with the Kiwis,……..closely followed by the goal after the siren pressure kick by South African Simphiwe Mbhalo to give South Africa by just 1 point.
btw - Redb would love that an old stager like Matthew Lloyd was able to rise to the heavans to pluck what was just announced as mark of the year.
Millster said | October 9th 2008 @ 7:49pm | Report comment
Actually I would call the mark of the year what one of the Storm players (forget which one, one of the backs) did in the NRL grand final. It was more AFL than AFL… a true cazaly moment…
Redb said | October 9th 2008 @ 7:51pm | Report comment
no way, lloyd was much higher than folau.
Redb
Redb said | October 9th 2008 @ 7:54pm | Report comment
to explain Millster, Folau was knee height on the shoulders, Lloyd’s feet were at the level of the defender’s heads who were also airborn. It just proves my view that the TV coverage really lacks. I have an excellent still shot of the mark, Lloyd’s flight invaded Tullamarine airspace.
Redb
Millster said | October 9th 2008 @ 8:08pm | Report comment
Flew like the little AFL-playing ballerina that he is perhaps?
(sorry couldn’t resist)
Redb said | October 9th 2008 @ 8:24pm | Report comment
Millster,
You obviously have never seen him face to face, he’s a big bloke that actually hits pretty hard on the field. He’d sure knock the stuffing out of any soccer player you’d like to name.
Dont mess with the Bombers it will get ugly.
Redb
Michael C said | October 9th 2008 @ 9:15pm | Report comment
Millster -
invariably those NRL Melb Storm AFL inspired (and trained, don’t forget that - - and we Melb folk celebrate that some people in Rugby circles actually IN Australia have realised that there’s something to be gained and learned) ‘marks’ are pretty one dimensional,……..i.e. generally it’s a one on one with the directions of the player movement pretty well known and a given in reality.
Therefore, in general, the RL ’speccie’ loses on degree of difficulty.
Alas, the NRL GF again showed the wonderful examples of NRL guys totally at a loss with an air ball and even unable to take a simple chest mark by seeing the ball cannon off their collar bone………..sheesh………
Dave said | October 10th 2008 @ 8:47pm | Report comment
ManU winning the EPL/ECL double has to be the highlight so far