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Top eight sporting moments of 2016

Roar Guru
17th November, 2016
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Mundine vs Clottey (Image: The Roar)
Roar Guru
17th November, 2016
9

2016 has been the year of big sporting moments. There have been droughts broken, triple repeats, the return of the Hayne Plane and many more.

I am a stickler for lists and I’ve got a delicious feast of sporting moments to serve up in my latest instalment.

8. Mundine v Green 2 finally announced (Boxing)
We kick off the list with the fight that many thought would not or should not happen. After ten years from their first fight, their rematch was finally announced last month with the fight to happened on Feb 3 to be held in Adelaide.

Although many have criticised this fight and called it a money-grabbing farce, the build up is on and the excitement for this fight is brewing.

I for one will be going to Adelaide to watch this fight live as I feel it would be my first, last and only chance to see these two fight or they are both in their 40s and retirement is just around the corner. This fight is sure to break all records, and while the quality will not as good as the last fight, it will still be worth a look.

7. Jarryd Hayne lands of the Gold Coast (NRL)
This was a huge coup for the Gold Coast. After his unsuccessful bid in the NFL (he got eight more games than many others did so good for him) Hayne signed a $1.2 million a year contact to play at the Titans.

With Daley Cherry-Evans going back on his deal to return to Manly and taking Nate Myles with him, the Titans were cashed up and needed superstars to strength their side.

Hayne answered the call and even though he signed only a couple of weeks out from the finals he was cast into the game in Round 21 and won with a field goal to start off on the right foot.

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Although the Titans would go down to the Broncos in the first week of the finals, keep watch for them next year as the Hayne plane fuels up for a big 2017.

6. Andy Murray World number one (Tennis)
Forever a bridesmaid, this year Murray got to walk down the number one aisle.

Keeping with current events, after more than two years at the top for Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray is now the number one seed. He is the first Scotman to achieve this goal and the 26th man and the second oldest to do so.

5. Fiji’s Gold medal (Olympics)
Similar to the Jamaican Bobsled team of 1988, no one expected that Fiji would win at the sevens ruby tourament at the Olympics. But they became the first team or participants from the tiny Pacific Island to bring home the gold medal. A will-deserved win. They bumped off New Zealand in the semis to achieve this goal.

Fiji sevens player Kitione Taliga tall

4. Usain Bolt wins the three-peat (Olympics)
The world’s fastest man did it again and made Olympic history, becoming the first athlete to win the 100 and 200-metre sprint and 4×100-metre relay three Olympics in a row.

The 29-year-old did it easily in Rio to cement his place as the fastest men ever.

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It has been confirmed that he will be running in Australia next year in February at Melbourne’s Nitro Althetics. Maybe before this, if he has time he should go to Adelaide and watch the Mundine-Green fight. He is a nine-time Olympic sprint champion, I would love to see this man’s pool room.

3. Sharks finally turn off their porch light (NRL)
In the 1980s famous coach Jack Gibson said waiting for the Sharks to win a premiership is like leaving the porch light on for Prime Minister Harold Holt.

Well, they were finally able to turn that light off this year after fifty years of waiting. The Sharks you were able to achieve a stunning 15 wins in a row, get to the grand final and defeat the Storm, perhaps the most dominant team in last decade, to finally get the big win.

Although I thought the game was poor from the Storm, you can’t take anything away from the Sharks. They were able to get the job done and bump off the minor premiers to do it.

The celebrations are still going, and are well deserved. Up up Cronulla!

2. Bulldogs win after 62 years (AFL)
To the other drought-breaking footy story. In 1954 the Western Bulldogs won their first and only flag. My parents were born in that year, Dad in February and Mum in October.

It was their Cinderella season after a horrific start, losing their captain to injury earl. But the sun shone on the Dogs, as they had to get it done from seventh place and bump off a number of well-established teams.

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The Bulldogs dominated the grand final against the Swans from the get go and took out their first flag in 62 years, bringing the party to the Western Suburbs for the first time since 1954.

1. The Cubs win the World Series (Baseball)
This year has definitely been the year of the underdog, predicted in the Back to the Future series and famously used in the Armageddon movie the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series after 108 years of waiting.

That is a long time to wait they have seen so much in that time, two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, a man on the moon, Y2k and 9/11.

They had to wait until the seven-game against the Cleveland Indians to finally get the job done taking out the series four games to three.

And Chicago imbranced the win, with five million people flooding the streets in front of Wrigley field to celebrate the historic win. This will go down as the biggest moment of the sporting year as they have to wait double that of the Sharks and Bulldogs fans.

Congratulations to the Cubs; they have finally won the world series and they deserve their top spot on this list.

Do you agree with my list? What is your favourite sporting moment of 2016?

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