OPINION
Drum roll please ... and the winners of Chris Rattue’s 2023 sports awards are:
Our most promising newcomer: The 78-year-old American Bill Foley.
Who?
He’s the American financier who acquired the A-league football licence for Auckland.
Chris Rattue: The good, the bad and the ugly of NZ sport in 2023
Chris Rattue's Good, Bad and the Ugly of New Zealand sport 2023.
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Foley is either crazy, or … well … crazy.
Surely he has much bigger fish to fry in world sport.
But give the man 10 out of 10 for taking this on, given the past failures of professional football franchises in Auckland.
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It will be fascinating to see how Foley tries to pull this off, but his form is good.
Only last year, Foley bought English Premier League club Bournemouth, which is famous for punching above its weight. Foley also set up the Vegas ice hockey team that quickly won the Stanley Cup.
Foley comes across as confident and a bit flashy. We need that flamboyance and cockiness in Kiwi sport.
But wait, there’s more, a lot more.
Foley wants a 20,000-seat waterfront stadium pronto. Good luck with that, too, Bill.
Bottom line: Foley’s arrival on our doorstep is my sporting highlight of the year.
Best comeback (and international sportsperson of the year): Simone Biles
The most decorated gymnast claimed four golds and a silver at the artistic worlds in Belgium, her first big competition since taking a mental health break after the Olympics two years ago
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“Gymnastics is something that I do, and it’s not who I am as a person and I think it took years to realise that,” the 26-year-old American said afterwards.
There’s some good advice for all of us in there.
Best Kiwi win: Kiwis (and team of the year)
They absolutely crushed Australia at Hamilton. A strange but true story.
Best Kiwi about-turn: Shaun Johnson
The 33-year-old Warrior was exceptional as director of his own NRL team and dissector of the opposition.
Kudos also goes to new Warriors coach Andrew Webster, who found a way to get the best out of a faded star.
Top coach: Andrew Webster
Finally ... there is genuine hope around the Warriors, although I’d approach Webster’s second season with caution (old scepticism dies hard).
Most confusing (1): Ian Foster’s legacy
The All Blacks coach departed, an awful test record intact after his goalkickers failed to get the team home in the World Cup final against South Africa.
Yet for some reason, there was a general reluctance to portray his era in the bad light it deserved.
A few of his predecessors might wonder why they didn’t get the same public leeway.
Most confusing (2): Noeline Taurua’s legacy
Still in charge of the Silver Ferns, although some pundits believe she is ready to call it quits.
The Kiwi netballers’ collapse at the World Cup in South Africa was hard to figure out after Taurua’s celebrated triumph at the previous tournament.
The Ferns also dropped a game to a weak England side. Then lo and behold, they shared a series with mighty Australia.
Taurua’s Silver Ferns are an enigma.
Most confusing (3): The Football Ferns World Cup verdict
On one hand, they won a lot of fans and took a major step forward for our football by recording this country’s first victory at the women’s finals, over Norway at Eden Park. On the other hand, they subsequently wasted this historic start.
Our greatest game-changers: Mea Motu and Zoe Hobbs
Inspirational boxer Mea Motu, of Kaitāia, headlined an event with her world title defence in west Auckland, a rare feat for a woman.
She is also a groundbreaker away from the ring, continuing to speak out about domestic violence.
Sprinter Hobbs reached amazing heights in a discipline that New Zealand has never excelled in.
Very honourable mention: Lani Daniels
Motu’s fellow champion boxer is another great comeback story from someone with her heart in the right place. Whangārei’s Daniels is as dedicated to helping others as she is to her own career.
Kiwi sportsperson of the year: Mea Motu
Keeps it very real in a world full of PR.
Whackiest moment: Violent EPL linesman?
Whacky … quite literally. Liverpool’s Andy Robertson was elbowed by an assistant referee at halftime during an English Premier League match. All was forgiven later.
Weirdest blooper: League misfire
The NRL’s Wests Tigers stuck images of American soldiers on their Anzac jerseys.
Longest (g)rumble: Rory McIlroy v LIV Tour
It’s complicated … outspoken PGA loyalist McIlroy seemed to get stung by even his own side in the truce, with the peace deal playing out behind his back.
Biggest impact: Erling Haaland
The giant Norwegian striker scored an incredible flood of goals in the English Premier League, the world’s highest-profile sports competition, in his first season with champions Manchester City.
Most memorable quote: Marc Ellis
The former All Black touched a national nerve when he talked about quitting this country for Italy.
“I certainly think New Zealand’s finest days are behind it. You don’t feel the same vibe or energy anymore,” he said.
“It has become a heavy place — it’s not the New Zealand of five years ago to me.”
Most memorable report: A rugby review …
… that reckoned New Zealand Rugby was “unfit for purpose”. Ouch.
Biggest bugbear: Sky TV
New Zealand sports fans rely on the subscriber service for match coverage. and that means getting bombarded with advertising, a lot of it for Sky TV.
Sadder still, Sky’s commentary and punditry show no signs of improving
Worst look: Addin Fonua-Blake’s escape attempt
The star Warrior prop’s attempt to immediately break his long and lucrative contract was disappointing after a memorable year for the Auckland NRL club.
Best sight unseen (yet): The Edge of Everything
From the previews, the just-released documentary (Amazon Prime) about the English snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan is a rare treat.
Major mystery: Lydia Ko
What on earth has gone wrong with her game?
After a stunning 2022 that included regaining the world’s top ranking, she’s turned into a comparative duffer. Reaching the hall of fame no longer seems like a gimme.
Unlikeliest star: Mark Telea
The spring-loaded Auckland wing proved his unusual game can work at the highest level with a top World Cup for the All Blacks, although there was one off-field transgression.
Most likely to succeed: Victor Wembanyama
The rising French basketball superstar began to show his wares in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, whose famous coach Gregg Popovich is slowly developing the youngster’s game and building a team around him. The best is yet to come.
Coolest captain: Siya Kolisi
Almost everything the Springboks leader says carries a depth and authenticity — often involving life beyond the field — that no one else in sport gets close to matching. You wonder where life will take Kolisi when he retires from playing
Saddest departure: Bruce Robertson
For those of a certain age, Bruce Robertson may stand as the most elegant of All Blacks.
Robertson, a gliding centre without peers in the 1970-80s, died aged 71, after a long health battle.
Best broken duck: Luuka Jones
The veteran four-time Olympian canoeist finally won a big gold medal — in the new extreme event known as kayak cross — at the World Cup in Paris.
Most notable international retirement: Megan Rapinoe
The American footballer-activist has had such an impact that she was, at times, bigger than her very big sport.
Biggest miss (1): Eddie Jones
The yappy Jones was a hopeless flop with the Wallabies, who bombed at the World Cup. Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan paid the price for his foolhardy patronage of Jones when he was axed by his board.
Biggest miss (2): Jordie Barrett’s penalty attempt
His long penalty shot could have changed the course of rugby history in the All Blacks World Cup final loss to South Africa. Barrett was in tears afterwards.
Biggest hit: That goal
The Football Ferns brought the house down with their superbly constructed World Cup goal against Norway. It was created by CJ Bott, Indiah-Paige Riley and Jacqui Hand, before Hannah Wilkinson rammed the ball home.
Surprise hit: Liam Lawson
The Kiwi had a decent burst in Formula One, as an injury replacement.
Best advanced thinking: Foster bladed for Razor
New Zealand Rugby broke new ground by appointing the popular Scott Robertson to coach the All Blacks from 2024, the decision being made before Ian Foster’s tenure had ended.
For once, rugby’s instincts were correct.
Best blow-up: Ashes firestorm
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s stumping of Jonny Bairstow, who had wandered out of his crease. There were “ugly scenes” in even the snobby Lord’s Long Room.
Best Kiwi comeback: The Ranfurly Shield
Hit the headlines for the first time in ages after the Hawke’s Bay team broke it. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Kiss of death
Spain’s football boss Luis Rubiales lost his job after a worldwide storm created by his non-consensual lips kiss of World Cup-winning player Jenni Hermoso at the public victory ceremony.
On a more positive note, it opened up debates around entrenched misogyny and sexism in sport.
Undisputed champs
F1 motor racing supremo Max Verstappen and ageless tennis wonder Novak Djokovic (who left no one in doubt that he is the greatest player ever).
Catch of the year: Travis Head
Head’s remarkable catch to dismiss Indian opener Rohit Sharma set Australia on the path to victory in the World Cup final. He followed that up with a superb innings to steer Australia to a comfortable sixth ODI World Cup triumph.
Best debut: Shane van Gisbergen
The Kiwi supercars champ won his first Nascar race, with F1 legend and Red Bull mate Max Verstappen in his corner.
“I was literally screaming in front of my monitor for him to win that,” Verstappen said.
Cutting quote of the year: Bongi Mbonambi
The Springbok’s race row with England led him to say: “I think it is a very sad thing when you live in a First World country and you think the rest of the world speaks English.” Touché.
Worst debut: Aaron Rodgers
It’s not often an iconic NFL quarterback moves teams, so Rodgers’ shift from the Green Bay Packers to New York Jets was major sports news. First game, four snaps in, he suffers what was initially described as a season-ending Achilles injury.
My own personal favourite: Ryan Fox
The everyman Kiwi golfer took a little break before storming back to European golf by winning the British PGA and going close in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Best new line: ‘Up the Wahs’
This simple little Warriors catch cry became a hit. Ryan Fox even heard it from a European golf gallery.
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
