SEN's Top 50 Greatest Moments In Sport is done and dusted. Surprises abound:
50 Phar Lap winning 1932 Agua Caliente HCP in Mexico
49 1995 Carlton Grand Final Win Vs Geelong
48 Carlton's 1979 Season/ Premiership
47 Maradona goal against England World Cup 1986
46 Muhamed Ali Lighting the olympic flame in 1996
45 Tied Test match against West Indies
44 Dennis Lillee Dismissing Viv Richards off last ball
43 Melbourne Storm Grand Final 1999
42 Jason Gillespie's 200
41 South Melbourne back to back 97-98, 98-99 NSL Cham
40 Boston Red Sox World Series Win
39 Chicago Bulls Winning 6 Championships in a decade
38 John Wilkinson drop goal, Sydney 2003
37 St Kilda's Premiership 1966 Grand Final
36 1970 VFL Grand Final - Carlton comeback
35 England winning Ashes in 2005
34 Man. United Treble 98-99
33 Mark Spitz - 7 gold medals in 1972 Olympics
32 John Aloisi Goal v Uraguay
31 Essendon v Melbourne Grand Final 2000
30 Lionel Rose Beating Harada In Japan
29 Jack Nicklaus Masters Victory
28 Liverpool win Champions League in 2005
27 Gary Ablett 1989 Grand Final (9 goals)
26 Roger Bannister- Four Minute Mile
25 Jesse Owens Triumph in 1936 Berlin Olympics
24 Jason McCartney's Comeback after Bali Bombings
23 2005 Ashes Series
22 Kerryn McCannn Marathon Com Games
21 Shane Warne ball of century bowling Mike Gatting
20 Brisbane Lions 3 Premishership Wins
19 Carlton V Essendon Prelim Final 1999
18 Ali V Fraser - Thriller in Manilla
17 Steven Bradbury Gold Medal
16 Damien Oliver Melb Cup on Media Puzzle
15 Swans Winning 2005 AFL Grand Final
14 John Landy Helping Ron Clarke Melb Olympics
13 1989 VFL Grand Final: Hawthorn v Geelong
12 Steve Waugh's last ball Hundred at SCG 2003
11 Greece winning European Cup
10 Lance Armstrong's 7th Tour De France
9 Ali V Foreman at Rumble in the Jungle
8 1999 Cricket World Cup Win against Safrica in SF
7 1990 Grand Final Collingwood
6 Ted Whitten's Lap of honour at the MCG
5 Cathy Freeman's Olympic Gold
4 Australia Vs Uraguray World Cup Qualifyer in Sydney
3 Makybe Diva's 3 peat
2 Kerien Perkins 1500m in Atlanta Olympics
1 Australia II Wins Americas Cup
A few points. Yes, it's a Melbourne radio poll, so don't get all high-pitched "South Melb soccer?" indignant on me. Same goes for the VFL/AFL. Essendon beating Melbourne in the 2000 grand final is not a great moment - for me. It was an awful game whose inclusion only proves there are lots of Essendon fans listening to SEN. Same for Collingwood in 1990 and Carlton in 1995. If the poll was taken in Perth or Adelaide it would no doubt be full of Eagles, Crows, Port and maybe Dockers. Well, maybe not Dockers. There'd probably be some SANFL and WAFL, too. If the poll was taken in Sydney or Brisbane there's big heaps of union and league.
John Aloisi's goal and Australia beating Uruguay should probably be the same thing, not 32 and 4 separately.
And just how many SEN listeners would actually, really and truly know anything about Phar Lap winning the Agua Caliente? Sure, they've heard of it, might have even seen the pox movie, but how much more would they know? Rock all, I'm tipping. They'd vaguely know Phar Lap won a race in Mexico - over 70 years ago, at that - and feel they ought to plonk it in there. Jesse Owens in Berlin is along the same lines as Phar Lap, but let's not quibble, that WAS huge on all sorts of levels. I also got sick of the number of times people younger than me (ie; too young to have seen it) would ring up and wax rhapsodic about the Rumble in the Jungle. "It was massive," they'd state before qualifying their pick with "I saw that film." In fact, I put more weight on those who picked their footy team's premierships because at least they're speaking from what moved them, what was BIG for them. Not what was expected of them. Or worse - what someone else had told them was worthy.
But I suppose "historical perspective" is an awkward concept. For me Rob DeCastella winning the marathon in Brisbane is a truck sight bigger than Kerryn McCann winning the marathon in Poohtown, 3000. Not that I'd include either, mind, but the McCann victory has currency going for it whereas Deek's victory was 24 years ago. Come to think of it, marathons used to be big. I even remember two of the runners Deek beat - Juma Ikangaa and Gidamis Shahanga.
In short, if you're talking "Favourite Moments" footy premierships are bound to rate a mention, but if you're talking "Great Moments" it's quite a different box of Pandoras. I mean, ranking Jesse Owens in the same list as Jason McCartney or Steven Bradbury doesn't quite ... err ... work for me.
The spelling mistakes aren't mine.
13 and 27 are the same thing too.
6 is odd as far as a *sporting* moments go.
Deeks beating Ikangaa was memorable as they were the form runners of the time. Deeks held the world record at the time and Shahanga won gold in Los Angeles 2 years later. It was one of the best marathons of the 80s.
Posted by: Bruce | 06 June 2006 at 15:28
The 2005 GF at #15! Two hours of constant bouncedowns and an arsey hack pack mark are #15.
What the fuck?
Posted by: carneagles | 06 June 2006 at 15:49
Bruce: Those Comm Games were big. So big, in fact, that our football team ended up with nicknames of the athletes. Although for some reason I ended up as an Olympic walker - Vladimir Golubnichy.
Carna: Not forgetting Channel Ten's 1,345,287 (approx) crowd shots.
Posted by: Tony.T | 06 June 2006 at 16:03
I would have thought winning a gold medal in five succesive olympics was worth a mention.
Posted by: SB | 06 June 2006 at 16:25
1. Andrew Lloyd winning the 5000m in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Yeah yeah. I agree. A joke of a sporting fest. But as a race in isolation, ya gotta love how much ground he made up in the last 120m.
And what made it extra speeeeeeeeecial, was Steve Moneghetti’s commentary and unbridled and non-rehearsed (I’m looking at you Rabs Warren and all you other rehearsed yellers wot spoil my sports-watching experience) shouts of disbelief :“Lloydy!...... Lloydy!... LLOYDY!!!”
2. DK Lillee getting Viv Richards out on the last ball of the day in some such test at the MCG. I was young enough for DK to still be a “hero” and old enough to understand how much of a uber talented player Viv was who valued his wicket.
FUCK.
YES.
On ya fucken bike, Viv.
3. And one I think Tone T has mentioned before. The International One Day Cricket win with Bevo at the helm. Amazing shit. Test cricket is where it’s all at, BTW. So for me to include that… speaks for itself.
Add to it that Bevo bought up the win with a most un-Bevo like cross bat slog. And add to that Bill Lawry’s hysterical commentary:
“That’s four! That’s victory for Australia! What a hero! What an athlete!”
4. Steve Bradbury.
[That’s not my top 4. Just 4 I thought of offa the top of my head.]
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 06 June 2006 at 16:43
SB: Yeah, but it is rowing.
Biggy: I remember that Lloyd run, too. Viv being bowled (or "poled" if you happen to be a modern day cricketer - grrr) by DK is No.44. That Bevo one was huge. If I'm not mistaken it was New Year's Day 1996. Steven Bradbury - funny, amazing, stupid, and he still nearly got beaten after one of the other blokes got up again. Memorable, yes. Great, mmmmm, no.
Posted by: Tony.T | 06 June 2006 at 16:50
Don't they usually play Test Cricket in Sydney on or about New Years Day?
Posted by: Gareth | 06 June 2006 at 17:12
Not that year. For some reason they altered the schedule so that there was an ODI on Jan 1, 1996. I remember it so well because I was in Sydney at the time, staying with my brother in Coogee. Normally I wouldn't have been able to watch it, but his house picked up the NSW country stations.
Posted by: Tony.T | 06 June 2006 at 18:49
If #46 and #6 rate then I nominate in order:
When the giant pay tv prop fell open, tumbling from out of the sky, before one of the 90's grand finals, hilarious!
The saxaphone player miming a duet with Tina Turner before the 1993 ARL Grand Final, top stuff. Followed closely by the power failure for Bill Idol's performance in the 2002 NRL GF - exhilerating.
Some of the sponsors speeches after the one day series have completed still get me emotional all these years later. Remember the one when the old man thanked everyone and congratulated all the players for such a marvelous competition? Yeah, thought ya would.
Posted by: pat | 06 June 2006 at 19:20
This is the shitest list ever compiled in the history of shite list compilation.
If you want top great sporting moments you can't go past Carl Lewis Singing the national anthem or Diana Ross missing a penalty during the Opening Ceremony of World Cup 94.
Posted by: Russell Allen | 06 June 2006 at 19:44
pat, don't forget the '91 GF. Angry Anderson in the Batmobile.
Posted by: carneagles | 06 June 2006 at 22:06
Top of the list surely has to be the Sydney Olympics Torch lighting moment of - will it move, OMG it's not going to move, I can't watch (puts hand over eyes to watch the rest through finger slits), it just moved, its ground to a halt...silence...panic...it lurches into movement, hooray for Sydney, hooray for Oz we mechanised the torch lighting!!!
I was so ashamed of the Chinese that day what with their cheap bloody electronic parts that fail in critical situations. But proud of Ozzie - too bloody crikey yes!
Posted by: pat | 06 June 2006 at 23:03
Tone, the Landy-Clarke incident was at the 56 national championships, just before the the Olympics. And what about the Opera singer Maroochy getting all out of tune at the 1993 Granny?
Posted by: slatts | 06 June 2006 at 23:09
Godalmighty. What pathetic fools put that shit together?
About six out of fifty are worthy.
I look forward to death if that constitutes greatness.
Posted by: Pedro the Ignorant | 07 June 2006 at 00:27
"We can't be beaten!" Pumps fist.
All AFL fans remember the batmobile at Waverley. Not because it was terrible, but because it was worse than terrible and thus amazingly funny. We need more of the same. Slatts' word forgetter almost falls into that category, but her cringe factor outweighed her laugh factor. Match day entertainment is all about balance, you understand.
Posted by: Tony.T | 07 June 2006 at 10:17
My list has a little to do with greatness, but 100% to do with the fact that I was there and/or in front of the teev to see it unfold live.
5. There was an Aus vs. Eng rugby league match in England. Early 90s. Might have been the decider, even. From memory, Ricky Stewart fluffed a pass and gave the game to the Poms. But then, with only seconds to go, Ricky scored the winning try to make amends. With a dubious shepherd from Mel the Finger which made it xxtra speeeeecial.
6. Warnie getting out for 99. But more importantly, me telling the missus 3 seconds before he got out: “he’s going to try and be a big hero and go the tonk and get out”. I am teh Nostradamus.
7. Allan Lamb getting 18 runs off Chook Reid’s last over to win an ODI. Bastard.
8. A 5-all draw between Australia and South Korea in (I think) the 1988 Olympics semi final. Women’s hockey. Nuff said about that one.
9. Darren Jarman’s mark in the final quarter of the 1997 preliminary final during the Crows’ big comeback. If ever an AFL premiership could be defined by one moment (which it shouldn’t, really) then that would be it.
** And further to number 27: “Gary Ablett 1989 Grand Final (9 goals)” I would say his acceptance speech was the highlight for me. “Mumble mumble. I’d like to thank God for puttin’ it on. Mumble mumble. Gave it a good go. Mumble mumble.”
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 07 June 2006 at 13:18
Sorry, Mal the Finger. I'm an idiot.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 07 June 2006 at 13:25
I like the list. It's funny.
For me, it's Tony Barber singing the national anthem before a NBL grand final in the early 90's at the Glasshouse. The crowd remained standing both for the anthem and for the laughing at Tones afterwards. Much fun had by all.
Posted by: Sarfraz Nawaz | 07 June 2006 at 13:39
On that note, here's three more words for you Tone:
Doin' the Cazaly.
Posted by: carneagles | 07 June 2006 at 14:35
Hellas Ole Ole
Posted by: Adam 1.0 | 08 June 2006 at 12:37
Wayne Jackson at the 2000 Grand Final "doing the Lloydy and the dipper". Gruesome memories, indeed.
Posted by: Tony.T | 08 June 2006 at 17:22
Impressed you boys down under recognised Manchester Uniteds Treble in 99, wish you would stop calling us Man U though, if your gonna shorten it try Man Utd, people in Britain who know nothing but try to pretend they know everything about football refer to us as Man U. I could have been talking about Sven in the last comment
Posted by: Vaughny | 13 June 2006 at 17:08
apologies, you did state man united and not man u which proves really that even though 'real football' is not your national sport, you know more about than half the pricks over here
Posted by: Vaughny | 13 June 2006 at 17:31
My greatest memory in footy was Gary Abletts 9 goals in the 1989 Grand Final for a losing side. My darkest memory was some Abo sheila trying to sing in a Grand Finals pre match entertainment.She should have stayed at the local boozer in her home town instead of inflicting garbage like that on the world.
Posted by: Russell Woodcock | 20 August 2006 at 16:04