The Wrap - The 2023 Sporting Year in Review

2023 Year in Review and Remarkable Sporting Achievements:

1. Greatest Australian Dud Goose of the Year: Eddie Jones ('come here and say it') for his lame and embarrassing coaching effort for the Wallabies on record. A complete fluke that Japan have him as their coach now. Eddie's combative press conference at the airport before departure in his akubra hat had knives being sharpened for him before he stepped onto the plane.

2. Greatest World Sport Individual Efforts: Novak Djokovic winning more tennis Grand Slams than anyone else ever. LeBron James becoming the highest ever point scorer in the history of the NBA. Erling Haaland breaking the most EPL goals in a single season. Virat Kohli - more ODI hundreds (50) than the great Sachin Tendulkar.

3. Greatest Controversy: Jonny Bairstow stumping issue in the Ashes. Jonny's hypocrisy, having tried it himself in the same match and in the past, was pretty stunning too.

4. Greatest Australian Individual Sporting Effort: Nathan Cleary's outstanding last minutes of the 2023 Grand final v Brisbane (without Luai and Yeo on the field it must be noted). Glenn Maxwell 200no in the ODI World Cup v Afghanistan. Travis Head's winning ton (137) in the ODI World Cup Final.

5. Greatest Australian Team Performance: Mens Cricket Team: ODI World Cup Cricket win v India, World Test Champions v India, retained Ashes** and the Australian Matildas World Cup quarter/ semi final football effort. Australian Womens Cricket is up there too. Penrith Panthers threepeat!

6. Greatest World Team Performance: Manchester City - EPL Champions, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League winners, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. 

7. Greatest Sporting Backflip: Melbourne and the Commonwealth Games rejection. May be the death of the concept!

8. Greatest Myth: The LIV-PGA 'peace' settlement that has no finish line. Laughable.

9. Greatest Dummy Spit. English cricket and Lords after the Bairstow issue. Hard to cop Stuart Broad at the best of times, but particularly when he starts lecturing people about fair play. He cut one to Clarke at slip in 2013 off Agar and stayed at the crease. In some ways he has always represented the best and worst of English cricket.

10. Most Ominous Sign for 2024. Two State of Origin series wins in a row by Queensland in 2022 and 2023. Under 'Madge' things look no brighter for NSW sadly. Unfortunately only three clubs can still win the NRL premiership in 2024 - Broncos, Panthers, Roosters.