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“And so this is Christmas. And what have we done? Another year over,” sang John Lennon and Yoko Ono in
their famous song. As the year draws to a close, what has the Australian sporting scene done in 2010?
How will this year be remembered?
Here’s my top 10 sports stories of the year:
1. Australia’s 2022 World Cup bid
No issue polarised the Australian sporting community like the bid to host the 2022 World Cup. A look through
any sporting forum's archives for 2010 showed the servers went into meltdown whenever a World Cup bid
article was submitted.
The bid was fodder for a code war like we’ve never seen before. While other code’s expansions may have looked
to build one code’s market share, this event would have denied other codes access to their grounds and
potentially the right to exist for two months. And there was scandal in the final result, with suggestion of Qatar
engaging in dodgy dealings.
Why did the bid go through with when Blind Freddie could see it had no hope of success? And would it have
been better for the round-ball football code had the bid never gone ahead?
2. Melbourne Storm salary cap breach
We’d seen the Storm take part in the last four NRL grand finals, taking the ultimate prize twice. With an
impressive lineup of names such as Slater, Inglis, Cronk and Smith, they were an imposing side.
As it turned out, too imposing. NRL investigations uncovered systematic cheating of the salary cap over several
years. NRL action was quick and decisive. The Storm was stripped of their 2007 and 2009 titles, three minor
premierships, and all premiership points for 2010.
Heads rolled in the club’s administration, and now the club are forced to offload players to become legal again.
The Storm’s credibility is in tatters, and there’s work to be done to rebuild the club’s reputation.
Who knew what was going on? Could the players have known a rort was on? How did the NRL not uncover this
earlier?
3. The drawn AFL grand final
It didn’t look likely when Collingwood led by four goals at half-time, but a strong comeback by St Kilda saw scores
deadlocked at full time in the AFL grand final. Everyone knew the rules; that the game would be replayed next
week.
Is it a fair rule? Is it a good tradition? There’d be a lot of supporters severely out of pocket if a non-Victorian side
ever played a drawn grand final and their fans had to shell out for another set of return airfares and
accommodation the next week.
It’s an unlikely event. The nature of Aussie Rules, with the scoreboard constantly ticking over, makes a draw
much less likely than in lower-scoring codes; so it’s a rule that is rarely invoked.
But after a review, the AFL decided not to change the rule.
their famous song. As the year draws to a close, what has the Australian sporting scene done in 2010?
How will this year be remembered?
Here’s my top 10 sports stories of the year:
1. Australia’s 2022 World Cup bid
No issue polarised the Australian sporting community like the bid to host the 2022 World Cup. A look through
any sporting forum's archives for 2010 showed the servers went into meltdown whenever a World Cup bid
article was submitted.
The bid was fodder for a code war like we’ve never seen before. While other code’s expansions may have looked
to build one code’s market share, this event would have denied other codes access to their grounds and
potentially the right to exist for two months. And there was scandal in the final result, with suggestion of Qatar
engaging in dodgy dealings.
Why did the bid go through with when Blind Freddie could see it had no hope of success? And would it have
been better for the round-ball football code had the bid never gone ahead?
2. Melbourne Storm salary cap breach
We’d seen the Storm take part in the last four NRL grand finals, taking the ultimate prize twice. With an
impressive lineup of names such as Slater, Inglis, Cronk and Smith, they were an imposing side.
As it turned out, too imposing. NRL investigations uncovered systematic cheating of the salary cap over several
years. NRL action was quick and decisive. The Storm was stripped of their 2007 and 2009 titles, three minor
premierships, and all premiership points for 2010.
Heads rolled in the club’s administration, and now the club are forced to offload players to become legal again.
The Storm’s credibility is in tatters, and there’s work to be done to rebuild the club’s reputation.
Who knew what was going on? Could the players have known a rort was on? How did the NRL not uncover this
earlier?
3. The drawn AFL grand final
It didn’t look likely when Collingwood led by four goals at half-time, but a strong comeback by St Kilda saw scores
deadlocked at full time in the AFL grand final. Everyone knew the rules; that the game would be replayed next
week.
Is it a fair rule? Is it a good tradition? There’d be a lot of supporters severely out of pocket if a non-Victorian side
ever played a drawn grand final and their fans had to shell out for another set of return airfares and
accommodation the next week.
It’s an unlikely event. The nature of Aussie Rules, with the scoreboard constantly ticking over, makes a draw
much less likely than in lower-scoring codes; so it’s a rule that is rarely invoked.
But after a review, the AFL decided not to change the rule.
| 2010 - THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS |
This article was originally published on The Roar.
4. The fall of one-day and the rise of Twenty20
For the last 30 years, one-day internationals have been cricket’s cash cow while domestic cricket has rarely
drawn more than two men and a dog.
But in 2010 the T20 Big Bash has captured the public’s imagination, the short domestic game pulling bigger
crowds than sparsely-attended ODI series against West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It’s a similar story in
India, where the IPL attracts the fans who are staying away from international games.
Is this a flash in the pan, or a structural change in cricket support? Is one-day cricket dying and T20 taking
over? Is there a power shift to “clubs” rather than country?
5. The Delhi Commonwealth Games
The media were scathing of India’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games. Fears abounded that athletes
would be living in squalor, competing in construction sites before getting blown up.
But it all turned out okay in the end, with India putting on a credible Games. Poor media coverage and
security fears kept the fans away, but such fears were unrealised as athletes competed safely in world-class
facilities. Was the western media too harsh on the Indian organisers?
6. End of the premiership droughts
Collingwood hadn’t won a title since 1990. St George-Illawarra had never won as a merged entity, and St
George hadn’t won since 1979. But the October long weekend saw both premiership droughts brought to an
end.
The days of “Colliwobbles” and “Dragon chokers” ended emphatically. Both clubs polarise opinion, having
huge numbers of passionate supporters. But there was no disputing that both clubs were clearly the best
team in their competition all season and were worthy winners.
7. Football leagues expanding
The AFL’s new clubs continued to take shape. Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants now
have their identities and are signing up sponsors and members in preparation for their debuts in 2011 and
2012. Rugby’s Super 14 becomes the Super 15 when the Melbourne Rebels enter the competition. The NRL
looks set to return to Perth in 2013 and possibly bring the Bears out of hibernation in the Central Coast.
All have lofty ambitions, but the A-League experience shows the reality can fall short of expectation; with
Gold Coast capping their crowds at 5000, North Queensland struggling to remain solvent, and Sydney
Rovers never kicking a ball in anger before their demise. Will other codes learn from the A-League’s mistakes?
8. Cricket corruption and gambling
Cricket, like many other sports, has plenty of gambling promotion in its media coverage and the
opportunities for a flutter at the game. But can gambling corrupt the sport?
Questions were asked when Pakistan let Australia off the hook on that fateful final day of the SCG Test, with
suspicions a fix was on. Questions which gained in intensity when Pakistani bowlers were caught out in
England doing spot-fixes on deliberate no-balls.
9. Wallabies continue to struggle
Robbie Deans’ record with the Crusaders in the Super 14 was second to none, but his record since taking
over the Wallabies has been less impressive. A win on the road against South Africa was impressive, but it was
a rare highlight. A loss to England, and a clean sweep by New Zealand in the Tri-Nations, kept the Wallabies in
the doldrums.
The Wallabies finally broke their 10-game losing streak against New Zealand in a post-season exhibition game
in Hong Kong, but losses away to England and Ireland showed they still have plenty of work to do with the
World Cup less than a year away.
10. Socceroos crash out of 2010 World Cup
There were doubts that Pim Verbeek’s Socceroos lineup of 2010 would be as good as Guus Hiddink’s 2006
side; and it didn’t take long for those fears to be realised. The Socceroos were out of their depth against
Germany, going down 4-0 in a dismal display. To make matters worse, Tim Cahill was red-carded.
2006 was a one-off, but it created unrealistic expectations; and the game against Germany was a harsh
reality check.
Although the Socceroos bounced back to draw with Ghana and defeat Serbia, the damage was done and the
Socceroos failed to progress past the group stage. And with an ageing team, and the next generation of
players not looking as good, even qualifying for the next World Cup is no sure thing.
So what will 2011 bring? We’ll have to wait and see. But it will be fascinating to see how the new sporting year
unfolds.
For the last 30 years, one-day internationals have been cricket’s cash cow while domestic cricket has rarely
drawn more than two men and a dog.
But in 2010 the T20 Big Bash has captured the public’s imagination, the short domestic game pulling bigger
crowds than sparsely-attended ODI series against West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It’s a similar story in
India, where the IPL attracts the fans who are staying away from international games.
Is this a flash in the pan, or a structural change in cricket support? Is one-day cricket dying and T20 taking
over? Is there a power shift to “clubs” rather than country?
5. The Delhi Commonwealth Games
The media were scathing of India’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games. Fears abounded that athletes
would be living in squalor, competing in construction sites before getting blown up.
But it all turned out okay in the end, with India putting on a credible Games. Poor media coverage and
security fears kept the fans away, but such fears were unrealised as athletes competed safely in world-class
facilities. Was the western media too harsh on the Indian organisers?
6. End of the premiership droughts
Collingwood hadn’t won a title since 1990. St George-Illawarra had never won as a merged entity, and St
George hadn’t won since 1979. But the October long weekend saw both premiership droughts brought to an
end.
The days of “Colliwobbles” and “Dragon chokers” ended emphatically. Both clubs polarise opinion, having
huge numbers of passionate supporters. But there was no disputing that both clubs were clearly the best
team in their competition all season and were worthy winners.
7. Football leagues expanding
The AFL’s new clubs continued to take shape. Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants now
have their identities and are signing up sponsors and members in preparation for their debuts in 2011 and
2012. Rugby’s Super 14 becomes the Super 15 when the Melbourne Rebels enter the competition. The NRL
looks set to return to Perth in 2013 and possibly bring the Bears out of hibernation in the Central Coast.
All have lofty ambitions, but the A-League experience shows the reality can fall short of expectation; with
Gold Coast capping their crowds at 5000, North Queensland struggling to remain solvent, and Sydney
Rovers never kicking a ball in anger before their demise. Will other codes learn from the A-League’s mistakes?
8. Cricket corruption and gambling
Cricket, like many other sports, has plenty of gambling promotion in its media coverage and the
opportunities for a flutter at the game. But can gambling corrupt the sport?
Questions were asked when Pakistan let Australia off the hook on that fateful final day of the SCG Test, with
suspicions a fix was on. Questions which gained in intensity when Pakistani bowlers were caught out in
England doing spot-fixes on deliberate no-balls.
9. Wallabies continue to struggle
Robbie Deans’ record with the Crusaders in the Super 14 was second to none, but his record since taking
over the Wallabies has been less impressive. A win on the road against South Africa was impressive, but it was
a rare highlight. A loss to England, and a clean sweep by New Zealand in the Tri-Nations, kept the Wallabies in
the doldrums.
The Wallabies finally broke their 10-game losing streak against New Zealand in a post-season exhibition game
in Hong Kong, but losses away to England and Ireland showed they still have plenty of work to do with the
World Cup less than a year away.
10. Socceroos crash out of 2010 World Cup
There were doubts that Pim Verbeek’s Socceroos lineup of 2010 would be as good as Guus Hiddink’s 2006
side; and it didn’t take long for those fears to be realised. The Socceroos were out of their depth against
Germany, going down 4-0 in a dismal display. To make matters worse, Tim Cahill was red-carded.
2006 was a one-off, but it created unrealistic expectations; and the game against Germany was a harsh
reality check.
Although the Socceroos bounced back to draw with Ghana and defeat Serbia, the damage was done and the
Socceroos failed to progress past the group stage. And with an ageing team, and the next generation of
players not looking as good, even qualifying for the next World Cup is no sure thing.
So what will 2011 bring? We’ll have to wait and see. But it will be fascinating to see how the new sporting year
unfolds.