With another action packed sporting year coming to an end, it’s time to take a look back and celebrate the good, and give brickbats to the grape with The Gurgler 2021 Sports Awards.
Of course, we determine our own categories, nominations and winners.
As ever there’s loads of the usual love for our favourites, finding ways to crowbar them in our 2021 Sports Awards and Review.
And we find a way to sink the boot into those in sport who we simply don’t rate, and never have.
GURGLER SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR
The Gurgler Sports Person of the Year isn’t necessarily about being the very best, although it does help to get noticed, but a sports person has to offer us more. We like those with style and attitude, sometimes quirky, or unsung. No time for big showboats like Ronaldo, the Gurgler Sports person of the year is usually down the other end of the pool. Or not even n the pool at all.
Marnus Labuschagne
They don’t come much quirkier than Marnus Labuschagne, nor as prolific a run scorer either lately. The Queenslander is currently the best batsman in the world and rarely does a cricket match with him involved go by without him playing a big part in it.
Benji Marshall
Invited to have one more season with South Sydney thanks to supercoach Wayne Bennett, Benji Marshall has a wonderful final season for the Rabbitohs. At times he looked as good as he ever did, his form seeing Cody Walker shift to fullback no less. He probably could have gone on for another season but he didn’t, and retired with all the class that he exuded throughout his entire career. Officially one of the good guys of rugby league and indeed sport.
Mo Salah
A one man entertainment machine. Has been killing it for Liverpool since he joined and led them to League and European success. But so far this season he has taken it up a notch and is arguably, or not even, the best footballer on the planet right now. And he makes football enjoyable to watch. A hard gig sometimes.
Adebayo Akinfenwa
Talking of footballers, once again we nominate our favourite footballer of all time. The Beast, as he is often known, is still going strong for Wycombe Wanderers in the third division (after their one season stay in the second tier) a full five season after AFC Wimbledon won promotion and told him he wasn’t good enough for the third division. At 39 he’s still got plenty to offer with three goals in 18 appearance this season, a lot of those off the bench. Not that he would have to do much to make our sports person of the year.
Ash Barty
Still the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Ticked the Wimbledon box this year too. And from Ipswich, Queensland which ticks a box for us too. And such a down to earth, genuine, successful Australian tennis player. Unlike a few other Australian tennis players we could mention.
WINNER – DEAN BOXALL
For us, not only the picture of the 2020 Olympics, but possibly of any Olympics. The swimming coach of Ariarne Titmus gave it plenty in the stands, his wild thrusting and abuse of the handrail as passionate a display in green and gold that has ever been seen.
SPORTING MOMENT OF THE YEAR
MELBOURNE DEMONS FLY HOME IN THE WEST
A good number of neutrals watching the AFL Grand Final were hoping the Demons could win their first premiership in over 50 years. It looked unlikely as the Bulldogs were 19 points ahead in the third quarter – the premiership quarter they say. But the Dees picked up the pace in the third quarter to and then kicked nine goals to one in the final quarter for a big 74 point win. And a drought broken.
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS WIN THE 2023 NRL NEW TEAM BATTLE
Several decades after watching pre-Broncos football at Dolphin Oval it is still hard to believe that the Redcliffe Dolphins will be an NRL team in 2023. It certainly justifies Redcliffe telling then Gold Coast NRL bid team to get stuffed back in the day, who then went on to be the Titans rather than Dolphins.
DANIEL RICCIARDO WINNING THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
2021 was a pretty crappy season for Daniel Ricciardo at his new home of McLaren, but he did sneak a win at the Italian Grand Prix. Part lucky, part right man, right place, he was in the right position with the right strategy when title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had their second crash of the season. At least this one was around 250km/h slower than the previous.’
CODY WALKER’S TRY IN THE NRL GRAND FINAL
Whilst we are happy for Penrith and their title at the one off NRL Grand Final in Brisbane, the moment of the game had to be the brilliant solo try from Cody Walker in the first half. He had one hell of a season, but sadly one of his last big plays for the season was throwing the intercept that led to Penrith’s match winning try.
WINNER
LAST LAP OF ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
The 2021 F1 season was one of the best in recent memory. A title battle that went down to the last race with the two contenders on equal points. And there was an undercurrent of a little hatred between the drivers all season, and a few prangs between the two had most fans wanting or expecting the season to end that way. It didn’t happen that way but the ending was sensational anyway. With Lewis Hamilton well in control it looked like an eighth title was his, until a Williams car hit the wall and brought out the safety car and chaos. Lapped cars weren’t allowed to overtake, then some were, and with one lap to go it was a straight fight between Hamilton and Verstappen. Verstappen got the move done and Hamilton saw the Championship slip away. Was he robbed? A little. But Verstappen deserved the title too.
READ MORE: Abu Dhabi Race Review
READ MORE: 2021 F1 Driver of the Season.
COME-UPPENCE OF THE YEAR
BRISBANE FIREHAWKS
The NRL new team for 2023 came down to three bids – Redcliffe Dolphins, and Ipswich Jets/Brisbane Bombers merge and Brisbane Firehawks. It may be harsh to call this come-uppence but at the end of the day they offered up a nickname that had to be continually explained. Like in our exclusive with the Brisbane Firehawks itself. So we say if the Firehawks bid had a better nickname they would be planning for and missing players for the 2023 season like Redcliffe.
READ MORE: Interview with the Brisbane Firehawk
IPSWICH TOWN
Fans got bored of being a bang average Championship team. Now into their third season in the third division, and it doesn’t look like the three party will end there. Probably have the best team in the division looking at talent alone, they’ve already sacked the manager again.
ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM
Leaving out your best two bowlers at the best fast bowling wicket of the series, and when you need to win the series to win back The Ashes. First Test, loss. Second Test, loss. So resting didn’t help winning either game.
EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS
Got the end result they deserved.
BARCELONA
As a result of the above they had to give away players, and sell Lionel Messi, who had held together the team for a few seasons now. They sit seventh or eighth now, and are in the second tier Europa League in Europe.
WINNER – MICHAEL SLATER
Forever a turd, and someone who has made watching cricket either impossible or as painful as mutiiple wasp stings to the penis, had a bad 2021. After blowing up at Scomo over quarantine, even though he knew the risks of flying into India, there was talk of a tropical island quarantine scuffle with David Warner. Then came his legal problems which have been mounting up since. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy we say, without going into any of that gear.
SPORTING EMBARRASSMENT OF THE YEAR
QLD STATE OF ORIGIN GAMES ONE AND TWO
What a way to celebrate getting three games on home soil thanks to Covid by being wiped off the park by NSW in game one and two. And we’re not just talking ordinary run of the mill losses here, we’re talking full no shoes, pants ripped, vomit stained shirt, 9am walk of shame from the night before embarrassment here. So bad. Somehow we won game three, but to be fair, NSW clean swept us in two games.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
A recent entry. The EPL are plowing on with their busy schedule despite losing almost 50% of their games, and cases exploding in the UK.
EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE
A dream cooked up by three big European clubs who are going broke, and they dragged along the big six English Premier League teams for the ride. Until the English football fans rightly turned on them. The greediest of greedy c—s.
WINNER
F1 STEWARDS
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix might have been our Sporting Moment of the year, but the way it played out from the stewards was pisspoor and spoiled a terrific season. In fact, any low point of the season usually involved stewards and their differing interpretations of things. The Belgian Grand Prix was a complete waste of time. Not that F1 could do much about the weather, but the farce of two safety car laps after many hours of waiting was woeful.
TEDIOUS SPORTING GRIPE OF THE YEAR
STEVE TIMUS IS ARIANE TITMUS’ FATHER?
No offence to Ariane Titmus, whose Olympics achievements were outstanding, but bloody hell, enough of the Channel 7 reporting father. Yeah, we got it first time, not the 235th time. It would the world’s smallest eyebrow raise first time, then meh a few more times, then full who gives a shit after that.
OLYMPIC SWIMMING COVERAGE
You know heading into any Olympics that you’re gonna see plenty O pool in the first week. Especially if it turns out to be a “fast pool”. But Channel 7 took it to new heights by not only plastering the coverage everywhere, but even crossing from live stuff that people did want to see to talk about some swimming shit that happened three days ago.
CHANNEL 7 OLYMPIC COVERAGE
We can’t bag just the swimming, most of it was awful. The only thing to come out of it, is to just go via the App next year. Even competitors family we’re doing so on the FTA coverage. They knew.
“REDCLIFFE” DOLPHINS
It’s Redcliffe. Who do you think you are calling yourself just The Dolphins. One of England’s biggest football team Tottenham Hotspurs are known across the world as Spurs, but they still have Tottenham in the name because that’s where they’re from. And to think people will support the Dolphins more than the Redcliffe Dolphins is fanciful. We say Redcliffe.
NRL PLAYER MARKETS/MOVEMENTS
The NRL player movement is something that is the definition of tedious. Constant clickbait. Half arsed stories of whose manager is talking to which club, and the end result is sometimes a favourite player from your team can go to another club the year after next, but they’ll still play for your team this season. All of this was allowed because players needed time to move clubs, cities etc. But these days players can change clubs from week to week, making that argument null and or void.
MULTIPLE PLATFORMS FOR WATCHING SPORT
Monopolies usually aren’t great, except when it was Fox Sports back in the day that had everything. Now you need Optus for Premier League, Stan for some European football, Foxtel for the other European football. And Stan for the rugby union….oh, never mind.
BIG BASH CRICKET
The Big Bash used to be exciting, fresh, and a quick fire version of cricket. Away from the predictable trudge of a 50 Over game. But these days, without the big name stars from the test side and overseas, it is just plain dull. The over rate seem pedestrian, and there are waaaaaay too many games. Some teams can be awful for most of the season yet still in the hunt for a finals spot with a game to go. Less is more. And at least Shane Warne is on the Test Cricket coverage.
WINNER – CHANNEL NEIN RUGBY LEAGUE
Always.
And they’ve just got a new five year contract, so let the good times roll.
THE WHO CARES – WHITE NOISE OF THE YEAR
A LEAGUE
Confirmed its White Noise status by moving to Channel Ten.
HALFTIME SHOWS AT SUPERBOWL OR ANY PRE MATCH ENTERTAINMENT
For most people attending a game, they are there for the game. Mostly the same for people at home. But the TV news need a clip and of course the entertainment gets seconds it shouldn’t. Especially when it is usually awful, and a terrible match to the crowd in attendance.
WINNER – RUGBY UNION
Not even a World Cup can get us interested. Whenever that is.
2021’s BIGGEST SPORTING JERK
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Being a tennis player, being a jerk is just in the system. If he hasn’t been hosting Covid parties, he’s being a jerk about Covid. OR just being a jerk.
PETER FITZSIMMONS
Loud mouth media personality who writes good books on famous things, but always has plenty to say on rugby league, and none of it good. He’s entitled to his opinion of course, and so are we. He’s a —- —- —– who can go and —- —— —–.
SHANE WARNE
For continued self indulgent tripe on the Fox Cricket coverage.
SCOMO
For showing up to sport in stupid hats.
WINNER – BUZZ ROTHFIELD
Grumpy old man who appears to hate the sport he has reported on his whole life.
2021 QUICK SPORTING AWARDS
2021 SPORTING HYPOCRITES OF THE SEASON
ENGLISH FOOTBALL FANS
English football media and fans get on quite the high horse when other nations behave badly at one of their England games, and fair enough, but then you hear about some of the English fans behaviour during this year’s Euro tournament, culminating in the Final where fans broke in and caused a stampede and injured other innocent fans. Or when some English fans boo the players taking the knee then come up with some cockamamy political beliefs story to cover the racism.
2021 MOST PREDICTABLE SPORTING OUTCOME
ENGLISH LOSING MAJOR FOOTBALL GAME IN A PENALTY SHOOTOUT
England did well to make the Euro final. And looked on track to bring something home that they had never won before. But their opponent was Italy, who looked like they were in tournament winning mood. In an ending that was so predictable, scores were tied after regular and extra time, even after England led after just two minutes, and the match headed to penalties, and England’s chances of winning over. Not immediately as Italy missed an early penalty, and Italy made a game of it by missing their last one too. England got their first two penalties, but then came the usual English penalty misses, missed three in a row, and another tournament win begging.
.
2021 BIGGEST SPORTING PARTY POOPER
COVID
Whilst Covid has brought much more misery to the world than some cancelled sport, or shifted games, or games with no crowd, Covid can still go and f— itself for ruining sport too.
2021 HONOURABLE MENTIONS
QLD GOVERNMENT
Depends on how much Sky News or Courier Mail you enjoy, but we at least give thanks to the Qld Government for keeping rugby league functioning for 2021. Who’d think that an NRL finals game would be played in Rockhampton or Mackay. Goes to show NRL, that there’s plenty of room for more regional fixtures in the future. Better that than quarter filled Olympic Stadiums.
KIMI RAIKKONEN
The Finnish F1 driver retired this season with the kind of fanfare you’d expect. Not much. But he has been a refreshingly different character in F1, with a rare Dilligaf attitude. His last stint with Alfa Romeo didn’t produce any wins or podiums, but he still got to occasionally showcase his skills.
