TRANSCRIPT
When it comes to sport, 2023 was the year of the Matildas.
The 2023 Women's World Cup was the first senior football World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand - and the community responded in kind, with record crowds and an astonishing surge of support for the Australian women.
It didn't come without some bumps along the way.
Australia lost captain and star striker Sam Kerr with an injury just hours before the tournament with an injury that would keep her out for the entire group stage.
Perhaps not unsurprisingly, the group stage was a struggle for Australia.
An unconvincing win over the Republic of Ireland, followed by a shock loss to Nigeria, led to Australia needing a victory over Canada in the final group stage game in Melbourne to avoid a humilating group stage elimination on home soil.
It proved to be the turning point for the Australians.
They thrashed Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, four-nil.
Hayley Raso scored two of the goals, saying the team lifted in a big moment.
“Yes, it means so much to us. I'm so proud of the girls. We put in a real shift tonight. Everybody fought for each other and to come away with a pretty convincing win is very exciting. ... I think we had our backs against the walls after last game and we knew that we needed to come out and put in a big performance. We knew we needed to when we wanted to top the group and yeah, we showed that 'never say die' attitude and we gave it our all tonight.”
From there, it just got bigger and bigger. A Round of 16 win over Denmark in Sydney highlighted by a pinpoint Mary Fowler pass... followed by a penalty shootout quarter-final victory over France in Brisbane that stopped the nation in its tracks.
Cortnee Vine was the hero with the winning penalty. It set up a semi-final with England in Sydney and a remarkable equalising goal from the returned Kerr from well outside the box that defied belief.
But all good things must come to an end... and two goals in the space of 16 minutes from England ended the Matildas' dream.
A fourth-place finish gave the nation so many thrills in the moment and, so coach Tony Gustavsson hopes, a bedrock for the future of football in this country, too.
“Obviously it's a bit emotional to sit here and talk about that when you lose a semi final. I hate to lose. But I've said it before, it's bigger than 90 minute football. We're very disappointed that we lost, but hopefully, we won something else. We won the heart and the passion for this game and this country. But I agree with the players. This is not the end of something, this needs to be the start of something. And with that comes money as well.”
Next year, the Matildas will look to repeat their World Cup magic at the Olympics, as will the Socceroos at the Asian Cup.
They weren't the only big things in Australian football in 2023.
Ange Postecoglou coached Celtic to another championship in Scotland then moved on to one of the biggest coaching jobs in the world, at English power Tottenham Hotspur.
A strong start to his debut season in north London made the world, again, sit up and take notice of Australian football.
On the wider stage, Manchester City finally won the European Champions League for the first time, defeating Italian giants Inter in the final.
Australian cricket had a massive year, too.
The men's side swept all before it, beating India in London in June to win the World Test Championship for the first time.
After that, they drew the Ashes series with England in England, two-all.
Alex Carey's run-out of Jonny Bairstow in the second Test at Lord's provided fodder for the rivalry for years to come.
And, to top it all off, they won the 50-over World Cup for the sixth time, defeating host nation India in an upset in the final.
That was highlighted by a century by batsman Travis Head, as was the World Test Championship final win.
Captain Pat Cummins reflected upon the way the South Australian epitomises his ideal player.
“Trav, the player we've seen it in test cricket, he epitomises everything I want out of a cricket team. He takes the game on, he plays with a smile and he just puts the pressure right back onto the opposition and he's just great fun to be around so I couldn't be happier for Trav.”
In 2024, the Aussie men will try and take the only global title they don't currently hold - the Twenty20 World Cup, when it is held in the Caribbean.
Australia's women's side continued their reign over world cricket in 2023, as well, by retaining the women's Ashes after keeping their Twenty20 World Cup title in South Africa in February.
Opening bat Beth Mooney reflected on Australia's dominance in the rapidly developing world of women's cricket.
“I've played in a lot of teams. I think it probably starts within yourself more so than anything, rather than worrying about what other people do. But it's a tough question to answer. I think if I give too much away, we might start getting beaten. But the good part of the game is that every team is that every team is evolving at a rapid pace and the game is evolving at a rapid pace too. So I am really excited for what is to come - and the challenges that are ahead of us.”
Australia enters 2024 with a new captain, Alyssa Healy, after the retirement from international cricket of Meg Lanning.
Men's tennis in 2023 brought told the same old story: Novak Djokovic.
The Serb won three of the four men's majors, starting with a triumphant return to the Australian Open after the vaccine dramas of 2022 and the end-of-year championship.
Even for a man who's done as much in his career as he has, Djokovic's 2023 passed the test of the person who is often the harshest critic of an elite sportsman: himself.
“You know, it's a great reward, I think, for what my team and I and my family have been through this year, being one of the most successful years in my career that I ever had. Four out of five major tournaments I won and played finals in Wimbledon, so, you know, I couldn't ask for more, to be honest. I'm very, very proud of this season.”
Iga Switatek finished world number one in the women's game, winning the French Open and the end of year championship.
But the women's game was a lot more even than the men's: the four majors were taken out by four different champions.
In cycling, Denmark's Jonas Vingegard won the Tour De France for the second year in a row.
The Team Jumbo-Visma rider found his triumph a very patriotic moment.
“We're winning it for a second time now, and it's really amazing. And today, with all the spectators, with all the Danish people here it was really amazing. I have to say thanks to not only my team and my family but to the whole of Denmark. They supported me and I'm really grateful for this.”
The second women's Tour De France was won by Dutchwoman Demi Vollering.
In netball, Australia managed to overcome the sport's financial problems in this country to win the World Cup for the 12th time.
That tournament took place in South Africa, a nation that experienced its own share of sporting success in 2023, winning back-to-back men's rugby world cups.
They beat New Zealand in Paris in the final by the barest of margins: 12 points to 11.
Men's golf continued to be riven by the PGA versus LIV Golf split after the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour made its Australian debut in Adelaide, to much acclaim.
Germany won the men's basketball World Cup for the first time.
Locally, in the AFL, Collingwood won their first premiership since 2010, edging out the Brisbane Lions in the Grand Final.
The Lions' women's side won the AFL women's title, beating North Melbourne in the Grand Final.
Whilst in the National Rugby league, the Penrith Panthers became the first team in 40 years to win three premierships in a row.
They defeated the Brisbane Broncos in one of the all-time great Grand Finals, a see-sawing affair.
The Newcastle Knighrs defeated the Gold Coast Titans to take out the women's title.
It was a magnificent year in sport, and with so much on the horizon in 2024 - led by the Paris Olympics - it's a safe bet 2024 will be similar.
