Has there ever been a greater twelve months for Queensland sport?
This week, the Queensland Bulls completed an extraordinary four days of cricket by narrowly ending a New South Wales fightback in the Sheffield Shield.
This took them to four consecutive outright victories in the shield, top of the table, and led to me thinking about the extent of achievements by Queensland’s sportsmen this year.
While the Bulls march on so too do their predatory neighbour the Brisbane Roar.
They won both the A-League’s minor and major Premierships last season, and they travel to Newcastle this week hoping to go undefeated for a 35th consecutive game.
Comparisons between them and the ‘invincible’ Arsenal side of 2003/2004 are inevitable, and while Eric Paartalu, Beshart Berisha and Thomas Broich are not Martin Keown, Thierry Henry or Patrick Vieira, their style of play can be irresistible nonetheless.
Their Grand Final victory over the Central Coast must surely be regarded as one of football’s greatest moments in this country. Indeed, this team may not only be of great significance in the present day, but may be looked upon as crucial in the development of club football in Australia; their flair and fluency may well have changed the A-League’s footballing ambition forever.
Added to ‘Roarcelona’ can be the Queensland Reds, champions of Super Rugby. While Quade Cooper has become Australian sporting journalists’ favourite fodder after his stumbles at the World Cup, in the Queensland shirt he was part of an outfit which played a fast, exciting and incredibly successful style of Rugby.
Indeed, in both approach and results they were not unlike the round ball experts with whom they share a home ground. Queensland have been Australian rugby’s underachieving sibling in the last decade, with ridicule and condescension pointed in their direction.
Yet this youthful, vibrant incarnation of the Reds defied their past to dominate the regular season, and then defied the common past of Australian clubs to defeat the formidable Crusaders in the final. Just as the Roar’s extra time miracle was a moment their fans will cherish, so too will Reds fans treasure the memory of Will Genia darting away from the defence late in the Final.
If they were not satisfied with these glorious triumphs, they may look to Rugby League for an abundance of victories and sentimentality. Queensland’s Maroons won a sixth consecutive State of Origin series, and now must rank as one of the great Rugby League teams assembled in recent memory.
Their combinations are so smooth, their forwards so rugged and their attack so devastating that New South Wales could only hope for them to be down on form.
With the series at 1-1, Queensland produced as fine a start to a game as could be hoped for, leaving a 24-0 scoreline as evidence of their superior ability and appreciation for the contest.
The Brisbane Broncos meanwhile displayed an athletic and highly skilled backline and brutal young forwards, and came within a game of the grand final.
Darren Lockyer’s field goal against St George in the semi-final may top all the other moments in the heart of the sport-loving Queenslander. North Queensland also made the finals and look a team who, like Brisbane have plenty to offer in the future, while the Gold Coast’s recruitment leaves them with high hopes.
Let us not forget tennis either. This year Sam Stosur finally found within herself what was needed to win the major her career demanded, claiming the US Open. She’s a Queenslander, and Bernard Tomic, who announced his existence and potential to the world with a stirring run at Wimbledon, well he’s one too.
It appears that in the major sports only supporters of AFL were let down by Queensland competitors. Perhaps the Gold Coast Suns’ failure to win a home game and Brisbane’s spluttering season is pittance for the glory on the other fronts.
If so, it is a small price to pay for some of the experiences Queenslanders have been treated to by their teams and individuals this year. Not being a Queenslander myself it pains me to say it, but Queensland is clearly the current home of Australian sport.
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