Monday Milestones: Six of the Best in 2011
Happy New Year.
As the champagne dissipates, my headache kicks in, and I scramble for coffee and Panadol, I’m trying to piece together the other evening. Somewhere in the middle of New Year’s resolutions, sentimental reflections, and two bottles of scotch, I’d determined a different type of milestone. A list of the landmark Australian sporting moments of 2011. So what are they? Too many to choose from, but here at Milestone I’ve compiled what I considered six of the best:
Six. Queenslander!
It’s impossible to ignore the amount of silverware that has headed north of the Tweed this year. Queensland won another Origin series. The Brisbane Roar won the A-League, setting a record of 35 undefeated games in the process. The Queensland Reds won the Super 15. The Queensland Firebirds won the netball. The bloody banana benders are even winning the Shield now. Bloody Queensland.
Five. Australian cricket goes to shit.
In November in Cape Town, inexplicably this once-proud cricketing nation was 9/21, with Nathan Lyon striding to the crease. Australia held their breath. Across the ditch New Zealand held their breath. Could the lowest ever Test total of 26 be broken? Thankfully for Australia, Lyon and Peter Siddle avoided that. So whilst it’s incredible the Test side was bowled out for only 47, on the other hand, at least they made 47.
Four. Darren Lockyer
In 2011 one of the games greats left the field. And in his final year Locky almost did it all. He broke the record for playing 355 games, the most matches in rugby league history. He led the Maroons to their incredible record sixth consecutive State of Origin series victory, and won his last league match on Australian soil by a field goal. The only thing that Locky couldn’t do was win the NRL Premiership. But given that he has already won four, we’ll let that slide.
Three. Samantha Stosur
It had been a while coming. Many leading experts on the WTA circuit had said it was ‘just a matter of time’ before Sam Stosur would lift the silverware on one of the Grand Slam tournaments. Of course the same has been said about many others before, so when Stosur triumphed over the terrible sportsmanship of Serena Williams at Flushing Meadow, to become the first Australian woman to win a slam in thirty one years, a nation applauded.
Two. Black Caviar
It’s rare that a horse will inspire a nation, but put simply, this horse is the best since Phar Lap. Black Caviar continues to capture the Australian imagination with every race she wins. Sixteen from sixteen is an incredible record, and now into 2012, a nation stands and waits. Just how many will the five year old win? How far can she go? And most importantly – who is going to beat her, and when? What’s your money on?
One. Cadel Evans
For three weeks in July I didn’t sleep. Instead I spent my nights watching the Tour de France, forgoing health and sanity, blearily stumbling around for days uttering inane babble, of which only two words were discernible: Cadel Evans. And I don’t usually like cycling. But watching Cadel power through the French wine regions, and staying in touch through the Pyrenees, Australia watched and hoped. Until when on the final stage, Cadel rode the time trial of his life, and snatched the yellow jersey the day before riding into Paris, and one of the final remaining frontiers in Australian sport had been conquered.
So there we are. I know while many, many more are not listed here, what do you think? Let us know here at the Milestone. Because we think these are six of the best.
Happy New Year
With thanks to Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe for the photo
