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Geelong players celebrate their win after the 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final between the St Kilda Saints and the Geelong Cats at the MCG.
2009 saw some remarkable team performances from Australia’s best: teams such as the Socceroos, Geelong Cats, St. Kilda Saints, Melbourne Storm, Melbourne Victory, Queensland Origin and the Melbourne Vixens. But which deserves to be Australian sporting team of the year?
The nominees are:
Socceroos – Football
While fans debate the likely makeup of Pim Verbeek’s Socceroos heading into the 2010 World Cup, it’s important to reflect on what they achieved in 2009. They qualified for their second consecutive World Cup with a 0-0 draw away to Qatar on 5 June. The Socceroos only conceded one goal in the whole qualification period, and their victory away to Oman sets them up for Asian Cup qualification. They also held the Netherlands to a draw and defeated Ireland 3-0 in friendlies.
Geelong Cats – AFL
Geelong exacted revenge for their 2008 upset Grand Final defeat with their second premiership in three years. Geelong showed signs of faltering with injuring threatening to derail their season, but they came storming back into contention, easing past the Bulldogs and Collingwood to set up the much-anticipated clash with St. Kilda. Their two-goal victory in the Grand Final confirmed their place as one of the great teams. To cap of their season, Gary Ablett finally claimed a long overdue Brownlow medal.
Melbourne Victory – A-League
The Melbourne Victory confirmed their status as the benchmark team of the A-League in season 2008/09, both on and off the pitch. The Victory claimed the pre-season cup, the premiership and became the first A-League side to win two championships by defeating Adelaide United 1–0. Despite losing the likes of Danny Allsop and Michael Theoklitos, the Victory are once again at the forefront in the 2009/10 season.
St. Kilda Saints – AFL
Although premiership success may have eluded them by 12 points, their record run of 19 consecutive victories in a season shattered the club’s previous mark of 10 in a row and created AFL history. The minor premiers decimated many an opposition during that record run.
Melbourne Storm – NRL
Like Geelong, the Melbourne Storm exacted revenge for their 2008 disappointment with premiership success; defeating the Parramatta Eels 23-16. Led by Billy Slater, the Storm nullified the threat of Jarryd Hayne in the Grand Final, winning their second premiership from four consecutive Grand Final appearances. For many it confirmed their status as the greatest NRL side of the decade.
Queensland State of Origin – League
Queensland claimed their fourth straight State of Origin series, continuing their domination over the NSW Blues. Comprised of greats such as Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer and Billy Slater, the current Maroons squad was too strong for Craig Bellamy’s Blues, wrapping up the series in the second game.
Melbourne Vixens – ANZ Netball Championship
The Vixens claimed their first ANZ Championship in the second season of the trans-Tasman competition. The inspirational Sharelle McMahon led the way with the team only losing one game throughout the whole season. They defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds 54-46 in the Grand Final.
Other possible candidates –
Parramatta Eels – NRL. Emerged from the pack for a late season run that took them to the Grand Final.
Australian Diamonds – Netball. Prepared for the upcoming Commonwealth Games by beating arch rivals, the Silver Ferns, in a Test series in New Zealand.
Australian Kangaroos – League. Claimed the Four Nations with an easy victory against England in the final.
Feel free to justify your selection, or add your own team of 2009 in the comments area below.
The winner will be announced on Tuesday December 8.
So, who deserves the title?
[poll id=”60″]
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