Holiday Highlights
What Happened in the Sporting World Over the Holidays?
R. O. Adams
OVER THE MID-YEAR BREAK, plenty of action occurred in the world of sport. Let’s take a look at some of the best moments.
State of Origin – The Decider: This game promised to be an epic and it delivered. New South Wales were the heavily backed favourites going into the match, with Queensland losing star playmaker Cameron Munster. However, with hearts as big as Phar Lap and Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Dearden steering the ship with their brilliant kicking game, Queensland outplayed their opposition to win the series.
Going into half time, the game was poised on a knife edge, with a late try for Queensland off the back of a perfectly weighted kick leaving the scoreline 12-10 in favor of NSW. After the break, Queensland’s dominant territorial possession saw Kalyn Ponga crashing over the line in the 60th minute to add a try to his brilliant performance. In the dying minutes of the game, NSW supporters’ hearts dropped as Ben Hunt made a crucial charge down on a Nathan Cleary chip kick, scoring a 60 meter try to seal the series.
Wimbledon Final – Djokovic vs Kyrgios: Well, this match promised to be entertaining and it sure was. Djokovic once again showed his true professionalism, putting on a clinic after his slow start. Conversely, Kyrgios started well, but simply couldn’t compete with the Serbian, going down three sets to one. The match saw Kyrgios’ typical antics, evident in his aggression to his team in their box for not cheering enough. He also entertained us with some outstanding stroke play, pulling off unbelievable forehand shots that left Djokovic dazed. Despite a strong effort, the reigning champion proved too strong once again, adding to his case to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Tour De France: This year’s tour has witnessed some outstanding solo performances, including Jonas Vingegaard overtaking Tadej Pogacar in the yellow jersey race through an outstanding attack in the mountain stages. Pogacar was looking good to win the tour for the third year in a row, but Vingegaard put that record on hold through his strong performance. It will be very interesting to see who comes out on top at the end of the tour.
Wallabies vs England – The Decider: Yet another decider in the world of rugby, this time in the international, union format. Australia achieved a courageous win against the Poms in the first game, but the joy was short lived after England proved too strong in game two. Heading into the decider, Australia was short on manpower with six players forced out with injuries. The Wallabies started strong and scored the first try, boosting their confidence. However, they conceded a try in the dying moments of the first half (sound familiar?). Unfortunately, the Wallabies were unable to make up the deficit, going down 21-17 in a brave effort considering the injuries sustained by the side in the series.The World of AFL and NRL: A quick summary for both competitions. In the AFL, Geelong are now leading the competition after winning the top of the table clash against the Demons. The Top 8 race is heating up with a number of sides in contention. In the NRL, the Panthers continue to dominate and the Storm have succumbed to a form slump, something they rarely experience. Similarly, the Top 8 race is heating up, but the top five already seem certain to play finals.