BIFFS. BRAWLS AND BANS FOR AUSSIES
Australian cricket took a huge hit in 2018. Other sports had highs and lows too in another remarkable year for sport, writes PHIL DILLON
10. No silver lining
AT THE Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April Australia targeted one gold medal that just had to be won – in the netball.
The home team was the huge favourite in the final against England, but the Poms produced one of the great boilovers of any Games with a thrilling 52-51 win.
It looked like the netball final was going into extra-time for the third time in Commonwealth Games history when England shooter Helen Housby missed her shot in the dying seconds after grabbing a rebound following a failed attempt to goal by Jo Harten.
However, Housby received a penalty and made no mistake with her shot on goal.
Aussie shooter Caitlin Bassett was devastated after the loss, saying: “Obviously pretty gutted. It does not feel real ... it’s not failure to us and it’s not going to define us.”
9. White goes gold
AMERICAN Shaun White did not look as though he would even get to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea after an accident in New Zealand in October 2017 – while learning the cab double cork 1440, or YOLO flip – left him with 62 stitches in his face and five days in intensive care.
White was going for his third Olympic gold in the snowboard halfpipe but was sitting second to Japanese 19-year-old Ayumu Hirano with only one run left.
The veteran produced the ride of his life, landing a frontside double cork 1440-cab double cork 1440 combo to open the best run of his career.
He snatched the gold and was in tears at the end of his ride, saying afterwards: “I found myself in this position that I love. I do better when the pressure’s on and I’m at the top, one run to go, the world’s watching, my whole family’s here, everybody’s cheering for me and I put it down.
“On any other day, when all these people aren’t here, if you asked me to do that, I’d be terrified. There’s no motivation. But when you’ve got the world watching there was no doubt I was going to do that trick.”
8. Horn’s hits and misses
AFTER Jeff Horn stunned the boxing world by beating Manny Pacquiao in 2017 and defending his WBO world welterweight title against Gary Corcoran, 2018 was hit and miss for the former Brisbane school teacher.
The miss came in June when he defended his title against trash-talking American Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. Crawford had talked the talk and he walked the walk as he outclassed Horn at the MGM Grand.
Crawford was on top throughout the fight before knocking Horn down in the ninth round. Horn got to his feet but was unable to defend himself against a flurry of attacks from the American before the referee called an end to the bout.
Horn turned things around on November 30 at Suncorp Stadium, winning the “River City Rumble” in 96 seconds with a knockout.
Pushed into retirement by the loss, Anthony Mundine said: “I’ve had a great career. Jeff proved tonight that he was a better man ... with a better shot. Got me with a shot early. That’s the next generation, man, so I pass it on to them.”
7. Fight for five
BOTH Lewis Hamilton and his German rival Sebastian Vettel were challenging for a fifth world Formula 1 championship title and the season did not disappoint.
Vettel won the opening race in Melbourne, with his English counterpart in second, setting up a thrilling campaign.
Hamilton had to wait until Azerbaijan to win his first race of the year and followed up with a victory in Spain. Vettel reclaimed the lead before Hamilton struck back, winning in France.
The lead changed hands again as Vettel won the British Grand Prix before Hamilton followed up with back-to-back victories. After the summer break the Brit took control with four consecutive wins.
A commanding win from pole in Japan, with Vettel finishing in sixth after spinning, followed by a podium finish in the US meant Hamilton could clinch the title in Mexico for the second year running. Hamilton finished fourth to clinch his fifth world championship title with two races remaining.
6. Woeful Wallabies
THIS was the Wallabies’ worst season in 60 years. Australia won just four of 13 Tests this season, suffered a 3-0 series loss in the Bledisloe Cup, a big loss to traditional rivals England at Twickenham and a defeat at home at the hands of Argentina.
Coach Michael Cheika has been under pressure all season and his job – along with those of his assistants Stephen Larkham, Simon Raiwalui, Nathan Grey and Mick Byrne – is under threat, with fans and pundits alike calling for change.
Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne emerged from a board meeting in December to leave more questions than answers.
“We’ve had a presentation from Michael. We’ve had some data gathered from him, from his coaching staff, from the players and from the high-performance unit. I know people are very keen to know what’s going on but I just felt it was important to at least let you know where we are in that process and obviously we’ll have more to say and have that process wrapped up ahead of Christmas,” he said.
Rugby Australia has tried to bring a change of fortunes by making former Wallabies attack coach Scott Johnson the new high-performance director of RA. Cheika will report to Johnson, who will also be part of a new three-person Wallabies selection panel with Cheika – and another person to be appointed early next year.
5. Golf in mourning
AUSTRALIAN Jarrod Lyle’s death in August rocked not just the golfing community but the sporting world. The Victorian died aged 36 after a long battle with myeloid leukaemia.
Players and caddies have worn yellow in tournaments following Lyle’s death, as a trib-
ute to the man who used to wear a yellow bucket hat when playing. Lyle’s great friend Robert Allenby said Lyle was his hero, a man with a huge heart, a generous spirit and a larrikin attitude.
“In life, you don’t have too many top-quality friends, ones you can trust, ones you can call upon. You can count them on one hand,” Allenby said. “Jarrod’s on that hand for me. There’s a bond and a trust that I will cherish forever.”
4. Magnificent seven
STEPHANIE Gilmore won her seventh world surfing crown, equalling the record of fellow Australian Layne Beachley.
The 30-year-old became the champion again in the seasonending Maui Pro event after American Lakey Peterson made an early exit.
Only American male Kelly Slater sits ahead of Gilmore with a record 11 titles.
Gilmore played down her chances of catching Slater, but said after winning her seventh crown: “Surfing means everything to me – it’s given me everything. I’ll never forget being a young girl and just surfing all day long. It’s all I could think about.”
Julian Wilson missed out on a first world men’s title when he was pipped in the season-ending Pipe Masters in Hawaii by Brazilian Gabriel Medina.
At the same event, 2012 world champion Joel Parkinson’s 17-year professional career came to an end when he was bundled out in the heats.
3. Philippines punch-up
THE basketball World Cup qualifier between the Boomers and the Philippines in Manila was supposed to be a regulation win for the Aussies, but it became so much more after a brawl erupted and 13 players were ejected from the game.
Elbows, punches, kicks and even chairs were thrown as all hell broke loose. After the Boomers’ Chris Goulding was pushed to the floor, a stray elbow from Daniel Kickert sparked a retaliation the likes of which had not been seen before. Even the father of one of the home players entered the court to bring a chair down on the back of Nathan Sobey, but amazingly received no sanction.
Kickert (five games) Thon Maker (three) and Goulding (one) all received match suspensions from FIBA, which in all banned 13 players from both teams. The Philippines had 10 players rubbed out for a total of 35 FIBA games and were fined $337,000.
2. Super mare
THE remarkable run of wonder mare Winx continued in 2018 with seven successes, including a fourth-straight Cox Plate victory, stretching her winning run to 29.
She became the first horse to win the prestigious race four times – moving ahead of Kingston Town, who won the silverware in 1980, ’81 and ’82. Winx also took her third-straight Australian Racehorse of the Year award, joining fellow champions Black Caviar and Sunline as the only horses to achieve the feat.
Winx finished off the season by winning the 2018 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, the top choice among race fans in a record 60 countries.
1. Sandpapergate
NOT since the Greg Chappell
underarm bowling furore of 1981 has something rocked Australian cricket as much as what happened during the third Test in Cape Town in March.
The series had already been clouded after an offfield altercation between South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and David Warner as on-field sledges allegedly went too far. But that paled into insignificance after what happened next. Opener Cameron Bancroft was caught on TV appearing to rub the ball with a yellow object. After realising he was caught by cameras, Bancroft attempted to hide the evidence in his trousers.
At the press conference after the close of play, Bancroft admitted using sandpaper in an attempt to alter the condition of the ball. Captain Steve Smith also revealed at that conference the leadership group was part of the plan, without mentioning names. Subsequent investigations by Cricket Australia found David Warner was responsible for the development of the plan and instructing Bancroft on how to carry it out. Smith was found to have known about the plan but failed to take steps to prevent it. Teary press conferences followed on the players’ return home, with all three apologising to teammates and fans for their part in the saga. Warner and Smith were subsequently banned from international and state cricket for 12 months, with Bancroft handed a nine-month suspension. Coach Darren Lehmann fell on his sword along with CA chief executive James Sutherland, CA chairman David Peever and CA high-performance director Pat Howard. Tim Paine took over from Smith as captain and Justin Langer replaced Lehmann as coach. CA also rejected a call from the players’ association to end the bans.