It was a tremendous year for Irish sport and as we build up to Christmas, we're counting down the top 30 moments of the sporting year. Here are moments #20-11.
(Read the Sports Moments #30-21 here)
#20 - Sepp Blatter resigns
The moment none of us ever saw coming finally came this year. Ahead of the FIFA elections, more allegations of corruption began to mount at the door of Sepp Blatter. And even though this time there were dawn arrests and FBI subpeonas, Blatter would duck and dive, and with the votes of football administrators from the likes of the Cayman Islands, coast to re-election. It seemed all the investigative journalists in the world couldn't bring an end to Blatter's shamelessly corrupt reign. That is, until one surreal Tuesday in June, when FIFA summoned the football press to HQ in Zurich and Blatter announced his resignation. FIFA has been imploding ever since. FIFA's future remains unclear, but the unseating of Blatter, Platini et al was proof that change can come.
#19 - Katie Taylor wins gold (again)
It's hard to know what good has come of this summer's inaugural European Games in Baku, but it most be noted: Katie Taylor did it again. In a convincing manner, Taylor beat Estelle Mosselly of France. It is just another gold medal for Taylor. On top of the five consecutive World Championships gold medals in her possession, and the Olympic gold from London, she now has Baku gold. She has her sights firmly set on Rio.
#18 - Conor McGregor Beats Chad Mendes
It was Conor McGregor's worst nightmare, they said. The Dubliner had never been tested against an elite wrestler, and Chad Mendes certainly was that.
The UFC 189 hype train was unstoppable, and Aldo's withdrawal due to injury only made the anticipation grow bigger, as it was believed that the Brazilian would stand and trade with McGregor, whereas Mendes was expected to to take the fight to the ground and do as he wished. For the McGregor-haters, this was the perfect scenario.
The American looked impressive in the first round and comfortably controlled the fight from top position. What he failed to do, however, was significant damage, which showed the world above all else that Conor can take a punch. The Irish fans were nervous, this wasn't how it was meant to go, nobody had seen this happen before.. But as soon as we saw Conor's smirk before the second round, those feelings of uncertainty were eased.
Mendes had exerted a lot of effort in that first round, and indeed in the second round too, and when Conor McGregor srcambled to his feet towards the end of the second round, he smelled blood. Strikes were coming from everywhere, and one perfectly placed front-kick to the gut of Mendes sucked the life out of him. Within seconds referee Herb Dean was pulling Conor off of his opponent.
He had overcome what many believed to be his toughest challenge, he was the UFC featherweight champ. But no, that was a made-up title, and Jose Aldo would finally give him the beating that had been coming to him, just as soon as he was able.
At least, that was what the doubters thought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkJJi5zIdaM
#17 - Sonny Bill Williams gives away his World Cup Medal
As New Zealand performed their post-World Cup lap of honour around Twickenham, one young fan rushed from the crowd to get closer to his heroes. He was crudely tackled to the ground by a steward, but Sonny Bill Williams was soon on hand to ease the young fan’s worries. He picked him up, embraced him, and led him back to the crowd, whereupon he gave him his winner’s medal in a truly heart-warming moment. Williams explained that “the young fella got hurt, got tackled. I just looked at it as, if that was my little brother or nephew, I would not have wanted that to happen to him. I guess I just tried to put a smile on his face”.
Williams certainly achieved that, and he put a smile on most faces looking on. It was a selfless act by Williams, although World Rugby did subsequently replace his medal. This was a moment which summed up the professional paradox of this All Black team: how a team of such ruthless and relentless ferocity on the pitch can be so steeped in humility and decency off it.
#16 - Maurice Shanahan wins an All-Star
In early November, the 2015 Hurling All-Stars were announced. Maurice Shanahan received his first All-Star award. It was a tremendous and deserved achievement by the 25-year-old.
He had finished the year as a National League winner and joint third top scorer in the Championship, while also playing a major role in Waterford’s run to the All-Ireland semi-final where they eventually fell to the might of Kilkenny. When Pauric Mahony suffered a broken leg during a club game shortly before the Championship began, Shanahan stepped in as free taker, a demanding responsibility in the inter-county game, but one he did not shirk.
In the days following the All-Star event, a new shade was put on his success - one of courage. Speaking to RTE, Shanahan told of some dark times in his life recently. Depression had hit him hard in 2014.
‘My life was nearly taken’ imparted the Lismore man. It wasn’t until three weeks later and an interview with WLR FM that the reality of this statement was fully understood.
Twice, Shanahan had attempted to take his own life. The first attempt was an overdose, death only being prevented by a call to his sister upon the realisation that his parents may be the first to find his body - an ordeal he did not want to put them through.
The second suicide attempt saw ‘the whole of Lismore’ out looking for him after he had gone for a walk. Fortunately, he was located in time.
Following this, Shanahan’s brother Dan - the 2007 Hurler of the Year - laid out the possible consequences of Maurice’s bids to take his own life.
Dan locked me into the shed at home. He said stuff that really hit home. He said that if I did what I was attempting to do, you're not just going to kill yourself, you're going to kill your parents, you're going to kill me.
That really hit home.
It really wasn't nice to be listening to that from your own brother and seeing the tears flowing down his eyes.
With the help of Conor Cusack (brother of Donal Óg), someone who has faced his own demons, along with the GPA, the darkness began to lift for Shanahan.
It all culminated in a momentous 2015.
#15 - Tiernan McCann dives
Clearly, the most scandalous moment in GAA in 2015. The Monaghan-Tyrone All-Ireland quarterfinal was dire enough before Darren Hughes ran his hands through McCann's hair in second half injury time to earn a red card. The conversation about gaelic football is generally negative, but it was positively rancourous this year, and McCann soon became the poster boy for everything wrong with gaelic football in 2015. While the dive was hilarious, one feels it is merely symptomatic of the pressures of encroaching professionalism. Je suis Tiernan McCann.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Aqyr433a4
#14 - Noel McGrath scores point in Croke Park
Noel McGrath received a standing ovation from the Croke Park crowd when he stepped onto the pitch with less than eight minutes remaining in the All-Ireland semi-final between Tipperary and Galway.
Just four months previously, the Loughmore clubman underwent surgery for testicular cancer. This was his return to inter-county action.
It was nearly fairytale stuff on his comeback too.
In the 69th minute, with the scores level, McGrath gave his side the lead to huge roars from the Tipp support.
As Michael Duignan noted in commentary, room for sentiment in such a high-stakes game is at a premium. However, in that moment, even the most ardent Galway fan must have felt a modicum of respect for McGrath.
In the end, it wasn't to be for Tipperary. Galway struck two scores in injury time, the first from Jason Flynn and then the winner from substitute Shane Moloney.
#13 - Paul Dunne leads at the Open on the last day
The 2015 Open at St. Andrew's was meant to be one of Rory McIlroy's career defining moments. All of the greats in the game of golf have won the Open at St. Andrew's - Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead... and John Daly.
So McIlroy's withdrawal through injury left a big void for Irish fans. Enter amateur Paul Dunne.
The Greystones man played with poise that defied his 22 years, starting early on Thursday and firing himself into the lead after five holes. Imagine, an amateur leading the Open. It didn't matter that it was 8 am on the opening day and most players hadn't started, it was amazing.
So when Dunne managed to string two rounds of 69 together to make the cut, it was a big achievement. Then the third round happened. With the eyes of the world upon him - Dunne played some amazing golf shooting a hardly believable six-under par 66 to lead the world's biggest major going into the final round.
Was he surprised? Not even a little. His post-round interview had an air of confidence and experience of these situations.
So the last round didn't go his way. Things went bad early, but Dunne managed to keep it together with grace and dignity that hints at a big future in the game.
He is definitely one to watch next year after he secured his pro tour card at the notorious Q school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9x8IqT0Gk
#12 - Johnny Glynn interview after Galway beat Cork
This landmark moment in Irish television history is principally remembered now for Glynn's use of the word 'bullshit'. But this is only one element of what was a glorious contribution to the often derided post-match interview genre.
Above all, he displayed the humility of a true Irishman in his description of the goal. Indeed, he appeared surprised to be even asked about it. (Oh, that all old thing).
The way Glynn described it, he was merely a bit part player in the whole move. A gormless beneficiary of both outrageous fortune and the hard running of his teammates.
The Chauncey Gardner of hurling wondergoals.
To the casual observer, it looked like the hard work had been done by Glynn himself when he slalomed through the Cork defence, lifted it over Mark Ellis and swiped the ball home from close range.
But according to Glynn, the hard work had in fact been 'done by the boys running off', a verdict which should surely see him crowned as the patron saint of decoy runners.
But that wasn't all. Rarely has a three minute post-match interview provided so many moments to delight. The manner in which he described his own contemporaneous thought processes was especially novel.
'When I started running I suppose I didn't shtop and when I got the chance of the goal I said I'd shtay goin.''
Special mention must also go to Glynn for returning the words 'poxy' and 'clobbered' to the world of the post-match interview, serving to highlight their shameful under-use in that context in recent years.
Of course, many observers didn't spot any of this, transfixed as they were by the sheer quantity of vaseline on Glynn's eyebrows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNBPn2-3Kc
#11 - Sean Quigley goal against the Dubs
Fermanagh won many admirers with their performance against Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Bar a handful of counties, most turn up to face the Dubs at headquarters with the simple ambition of not being humiliated. This usually involves the deployment of a mass blanket defence.
This was not a tactic utilised by Fermanagh. Instead they attacked Dublin, accumulating an admirable total of 2-15, losing by eight points in the end.
One of their goals arrived via some debatable circumstances. After Stephen Cluxton had claimed the ball under his crossbar, Sean Quigley adjudicated that a better place for Cluxton - and the football - would be behind the goal line. Somehow, the green flag was raised.
Quigley’s reaction goes a long way to affirming how he felt about the situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrWmDXSES4E
The top 10 moments of the sporting year will be published tomorrow.
