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New Zealand should ditch the Halbergs as the purveyor of just who the country’s top sportsperson is.
For too long now the the Halbergs have been out of touch with reality and more often than not New Zealand’s best sportsperson doesn’t win the top award. Minor sports, particularly Olympic sports have held too much say and sway on who is anointed to the supreme award.
An antiquated voting system gives these sporting minnows more power and punch than they deserve and they effectively hold the country’s best sports award to ransom.
On Wednesday evening, sensational coxless pairs rowers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray won the coveted supreme award, beating out hot favourite cricketer Brendan McCullum and the number one women’s golfer Lydia Ko, among others.
It seems churlish to denigrate the achievements of Bond and Murray as they really have been outstanding sportsmen and ambassadors for the country, and that’s certainly not my aim here. It’s just that McCullum’s performance was better and more meritorious of the supreme award.
One of the reasons put forward in support of Bond and Murray is that their success has forced their strongest competitors to flee the coxless pairs and take up other rowing events.
It’s difficult to reconcile the fact that part of the dynamic duos success is down to the fact they are competing against lesser athletes in their chosen discipline.
I’m not aware of any cricketers who have given up the game after being subjected to one of McCullum’s ferocious batting onslaughts. In short, Brendan McCullum continues to compete against and have success against the very best opposition the world and the game has to offer.
McCullum’s performances over the past year have been unparalleled in the history of New Zealand cricket. Almost singlehandedly he has restored the faith of the nation in a sport many New Zealanders have long dreamt to have success in. They are now some people’s favourites for the World Cup.
The day McCullum reached his triple century will long be remembered by those who witnessed it, either in person or on TV. The whole country stopped to bask in the glory of his achievement.
For too long, New Zealand has been considered the poor cousin in world cricketing terms. Finally, it seemed we deserved our seat at the big table. In contrast, Bond and Murray’s achievements were met with appreciable pride and satisfaction in their performance, however nothing to match the glow created by McCullum.
For an award purported to honour the top Kiwi sportsperson of the year, an analysis of the recent recipients suggests the very best sportspeople aren’t winning the award. Clearly, those competitors competing in Olympic sports (rowing, kayaking, track and field) have an advantage over non-Olympic sports.
It’s not just McCullum and cricket that have been treated shabbily by the Halbergs. Rugby, the sport synonymous with New Zealand around the world, has been reduced to a mere footnote as far as the Halbergs are concerned.
Sure, there have been successes. The World Cup winning teams of 1987 and 2011 each won the supreme award. However, in a land where rugby reigns supreme in the national psyche, only three individual All Blacks have won the overall award.
The last of these was Sir Wilson Whinneray way back in 1965, with Don Clarke winning in 1959 and Ron Jarden in 1951. While a small number of All Blacks have claimed the sportsman of the year award (McCaw twice, Jonah Lomu and Jeff Wilson), none have been deemed good enough to take out the overall title.
Imagine if the All Blacks ever got really good at rugby!
In 50 years, no single individual All Black has performed well enough to be considered New Zealand’s Sportsperson of the Year. Not Colin Meads, not Michael Jones, no Sean Fitzpatrick, Jonah Lomu, Dan Carter or even Richie McCaw.
Shame on you Halbergs.
Some claim that the All Blacks too often dominate the world rugby scene so the measure of their level of performance is diluted because there are fewer examples of outstanding highs, yet Bond and Murray are regarded so highly because they have dominated their discipline and remained undefeated over the last six years.
An achievement more than matched by the All Blacks.
Of course, these kinds of awards are always subjective. However, a perusal of the award winners going back to 1949 shows a distinct bias towards Olympic sports, and an even more distinct bias against the nations leading sport, rugby union.
It’s time for a change, we can do better than these current Halberg Awards and ensure that the very very best sportsperson of the year is recognised and honoured.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.