The Newsroom takes you through the 2016 moments that were written in sports history.
Cronulla Sharks finally win the NRL premiership
This was a long time coming, the Cronulla Sharks defeated the Melbourne Storm 14-12 to win the 2016 NRL premiership for the first time. It came after years of falling short, player behaviour and ASADA scandals but this season was the difference as the Sharks reached the pinnacle.
Chicago Cubs break the curse
The Chicago Cubs did the unthinkable and won the Baseball World Series defeating the Cleveland Indians breaking their 108-year drought at Wrigley Field. The match went on for an eternity with everyone watching on the edge of their seat for the entire 10 innings. It went all the way to game 7. There was a rain delay, emotion, and social media went into complete meltdown.
A storybook ending. They did it.
The @Cubs won the 2016 #WorldSeries. pic.twitter.com/CtVL11S4Jx
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 3, 2016
Cleveland Cavaliers win NBA Championship
With the help of Lebron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in June to claim their first NBA title. The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to down the former Champions in game 7. The first team ever to accomplish that feat.
Leicester City
The Foxes’ fairy-tale story was encouraging football fans over the world to jump on the Leicester bandwagon. English striker Jamie Vardy and Algerian Midfielder Riyad Mahrez formed a lethal partnership, notching up 41 goals combined while Mahrez was on hand to assist most of Vardy’s 24 goals. The Leicester side took out the 2015-16 Premier League title for the first time in their history and by 10 points, leaving Italian manager Claudio Ranieri looking like a genius.
Western Bulldogs take home AFL title
Another fairy tale story was the Bulldogs beating the Swans to win the AFL premiership at the MCG. The Dogs throughout the finals series were dominant and were the team to eliminate former champions the Hawthorn Hawks. For the Swans, it was another grand final appearance and it seemed they took the Bulldogs lightly. The Dogs went on to win the game by 22 points and win the title they last held in 1954.
Michael Phelps defeated by young Singapore swimmer
At the Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps owned the pool in the men’s division. He came out of retirement and showed no signs of tardiness. Phelps finished his career with a remarkable 22 gold medals. Joseph Schooling, a young man from Singapore did the unthinkable and defeated his idol in a race. Schooling also became the first Singaporean to win a gold medal for his country. – Jesse Mullens
Photo of the emotion of winning between Paul Gallen and Andrew Ettingshausen from the Cronulla Sharks Twitter feed.
About the author
I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
