What drama!
2022 will go down as an absolute banger for sporting moments that caused a massive stir.
There were some incredible duels, upsets, comebacks and chokes (sorry Carlton fans!).
We covered it all in the season finale awards episode of the podcast, but also run through the winners below.
The Only Sports Show | LISTEN TO OUR FULL AWARDS EPISODE:
NOMINATIONS for 2022’s Best Battle
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER CITY
MAX VERSTAPPEN v CHARLES LECLERC
STATE OF ORIGIN GAME III
COLLINGWOOD, EVERY WEEK
The Reds and City kept everyone crunching the numbers and forecasting matches, as the pair went blow for blow in the race for Premier League glory.
The Pies played out some stupidly fun matches across the back half of the AFL season, as they went on one almighty run. It’s too tough to pick one in particular, but the Preliminary Final and R23 clash with Carlton certainly stand out.
The two Formula 1 heavyweights also made things interesting for much of the season, until Mad Max pulled away.
But Rugby League experts are calling Origin III at Suncorp stadium one of the best games of all time.
WINNER: Origin III
NOMINATIONS for Upset of the Year
NSW WARATAHS
QUEENSLAND MAROONS
REAL MADRID
JAI HINDLEY
GOLD TRIP
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
The Waratahs – quite randomly – did what literally nobody was expecting and beat Super Rugby’s super power the Crusaders.
The Maroons claimed a famous Origin series win after losing Game II 44-12. Queensland trailed the Blues 10-12 at the mid-point in the decider at Suncorp Stadium; a Ben Hunt runaway try sealing it.
Spanish juggernaut Real Madrid won the Champions League, coming from seemingly unwinnable positions against both PSG and Manchester City in the Round of 16 and Semi Finals respectively… not to mention overcoming ridiculous in-game drama.
Jai Hindley became Australia’s first ever Giro d’Italia overall winner, despite limited contender buzz before the tour.
Gold Trip won the Melbourne Cup at $20-1 odds.
RELATED: The last 10 Melbourne Cup winners & the odds paid out
Tasmania completed a jaw-dropping come-from-behind Semis series win against reigning NBL champions Melbourne United in their maiden season, shocking the country and qualify for the NBL Finals.
WINNER: Tassie JackJumpers
RELATED: Votes are in – Here’s our pick for Moment of the Year in sport
RELATED: The most exceptional team & athlete of 2022 decided
NOMINATIONS for Choke of the Year
CARLTON BLUES
BRISBANE BRONCOS
AUSTRALIA’S T20 TEAM
MELBOURNE UNITED
In the top eight for every round of the AFL season, Carlton fell out in the final round of the season with a one-point loss to Collingwood.
It’s a near copy-paste scenario like Carlton, the Broncos showed a lot of early promise, but faded heavily away to also miss finals.
Defending champs Australia – on home soil – failed to qualify for a T20 World Cup Semi after winning the tournament in 2021.
For every upset there’s a shattered loser. Melbourne United missed the NBL Finals series after lifting the trophy in 2021, up a 1-0 lead over newcomers Tasmania.
WINNER: Carlton
NOMINATIONS for Comeback of the Year
TIGER WOODS
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
PADDY MCCARTIN
Tiger Woods limped his way around Augusta National, remarkably competing in The Masters after his awful car accident in April 2021, prompting us to revisit some of the greatest comebacks of all time.
Coming from 2-1 down in the NBA Finals series, Steph Curry’s Golden State claimed an NBA Championship for the ages.
The Cowboys overcame a 26-12 deficit with under eight minutes remaining against Manly.
Returning to AFL level and playing in a Grand Final with the Sydney Swans, Paddy McCartin‘s return to top flight football was one of the stories of the year. He was out of the game for two years, recovering from continued concussion issues after his time with St Kilda.
WINNER: Tiger Woods
Make sure to keep clicking back to onlysports.com.au for more content celebrating our sporting stars and the events that will define the summer holidays.
