Hi Vibers,
Despite the dreary London weather, I hope you’re having a great week. Personally, I’m champing at the bit for the massive weekend of sport ahead.
The Six Nations reaches a thrilling finale, with England, Ireland and Wales all still a chance of lifting the trophy; cricket’s minnows (inc. England – LOL) are gone and now the big guns settle down to fight out the World Cup, while the countless narratives within the annual Premier League race are nearing their conclusion.
So to whet your sporting appetite, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite moments from the past 20 years. Bear in mind this is only a subjective list (as you’ll soon gather from the green and gold bias) – but please feel free to comment with some of your own gems!
THE SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND A NATION
November 15, 2005: I can still remember it vividly; sitting there beside my old man, both on the edge of our lounge and with heads anxiously propped up by our hands, as the hopes of a nation fell upon one man – John Aloisi. How he didn’t buckle under the pressure I will never know, but thankfully his spot kick against Uruguay hit the back of the net to see us through to a World Cup. What a feeling that was.
TUGGA’S LAST-BALL TON
A long run of outs had Steve Waugh under immense pressure heading into the 2003 Sydney Test. By the final ball of the day, Waugh needed two runs to complete his 29th Test hundred. What happened next – it’s one of those “where were you when…” moments.
DIVA’S THREE-PEAT
You don’t need to know a furlong from a filly to know who Makybe Diva is. The mighty mare became the first horse to win Australia’s greatest race three years in a row. Winning trainer Lee Freedman summed it up best, saying: “Go and find the youngest child on the course, because that’s the only person here who will have a chance of seeing this happen again in their lifetime.” Greg Miles’ call of “…but a champion becomes a legend” still sends a shiver down my spine.
THE GOAL THAT WON THE LEAGUE
After 10 months, 37 gruelling rounds and more than 70,000 minutes of football, the 2012 Premier League title race boiled down to a few mere seconds . Manchester City had seemingly blown a routine home game against lowly QPR and with it, their first league title since 1968, when they slipped behind 2-1 heading into stoppage time. An Edin Dzeko equaliser gave Mancini’s side a sniff, before Sergio Aguero sent the blue half of Manchester into bedlam with the final kick of the game. Sporting drama at its absolute best.
SCOTTY BREAKS THE SHARK HOODOO
With the aura of Greg Norman’s infamous capitulations still lingering in the air, the 2013 Masters came down to a gripping final hole between Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera. We all thought Scotty had clinched it with a huge birdie putt on 18 and a cry of “C’mon Aussie”, until the wily Argentinian produced one of the most clutch shots in history. A play-off ensued and on the 2nd extra hole, the Queenslander poured in another 30-footer for birdie to become the first Australian to win the Green Jacket. For all the drama and its context, still the greatest finish I’ve ever seen to a golf tournament.
WARNIE’S HAT-TRICK
No list of sporting mastery is complete without an entry from The King. While the Mike Gatting ball sits rightly at the top of Warnie’s career highlights reel (along with a few buxom blondes and brunettes), his hat-trick against England at the MCG – sealed by a leaping David Boon and coloured perfectly by the “morvellous” tones of the late Tony Grieg – remains one of my personal favourites.
CATHY’S GOLD
What a performance. Few athletes have carried a greater weight of expectation into an Olympic Games, but Cathy Freeman shouldered it like a true champion at Sydney 2000. The moment she kicked clear on the bend, with the 100,000-strong crowd willing her on… to borrow a favourite of Brucie McAvaney -“ssssspecial”.
“WE’LL SMASH THEM LIKE GUITARS”
Ian Thorpe’s swim to bring home the 4x100m relay at the Sydney Olympics – a race which the US hadn’t lost since it was introduced in the 60s – was nothing short of phenomenal. The Thorpedo gave rival Gary Hall Jr half-a-body-length start, before powering home to victory. The boys celebrated by strumming air guitars – a fitting response to the US pre-race claim they’d smash the Aussies “like guitars”. Cop that one.
THE GREATEST SHOT EVER?
I have watched this video more than 100 times and it still amazes me. The scene: 3 holes to play at the 2005 Masters, green jacket on the line, and Tiger Woods hits it to an “impossible” spot behind the green. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
THE BOOT OF JONNY
Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup for England will forever live in my memory. As painful as it was to watch for every Wallabies fan, it was just one of those classic instances of a key moment being snatched by a champion. To do it on rugby’s biggest stage, with just seconds left on the clock AND off your weaker foot – simply remarkable.