Sporting Moments of the Year
02025 has been another great year for sport. 2026 promises a lot more but before we look ahead, the crew at Sportsfreak Towers take a look back on the year we’ve had.
This is Part I. Part II to follow tomorrow.
Yours Truly (@sportsfreakconz)
Sam Konstas, we will never forgive nor forget.
It’s July 15 NZT, and New Zealanders are waking up to the news that something special was happening in Jamaica. People dared to mention the number 26.
The stars were aligning; a sporting pitch, the pink ball, twilight and Mitchell Starc.
He took three wickets in his first over, before claiming the fastest 5WI in test history. Soon after the Windies were 11/6 and 26 seemed a long way away.
A couple of balls later Alzarri Joseph edged the ball straight to Konstas at third slip, and he dropped it cold. 11/7 would have been terminal as later events were to prove.
A couple of overs later he dropped another one. Why was he doing this to us?
The West Indies lost no further wickets in reaching 26, but there was a twice to come. Enter Scott Boland with a hat trick and it was all on again.
The following over Joseph edged one through Konstas’s legs and the moved to 27 before being bowled out.
That 26 has hung around like a dark cloud for 70 years. That cloud would have lifted this year were it not for some brat from Australia.
Benji Crossley (@bopman1)
When Emoni Narawa crossed for the All Blacks in the early moments of the Springboks test at Eden Park, you felt the weight of pressure lift from all the black Kathmandu puffers in the crowd.
Spending the afternoon in and around Eden Park confirmed that black would be matched by green in Eden Park that night so the nerves ramped up at the thought of being surrounded by South Africans when the fortress finally fell.
That Narawa try seemed to have a calming effect. From that point on it felt like we’d be alright that night and wouldn’t have to be sitting in the South Stand when the streak ended.
In all the talk about how we’re a mile behind the Springboks (which we probably are) it’s easy to forget we beat them this year.
Harbour Heather (@hdiddynz)
This might not resonate with too many Kiwis, but ice hockey gave me some really fun fan moments this year.
Feburary’s Four Nations Face Off was a return to best-on-best hockey for Canada and USA. The combination of the best NHL players not having played each other at Olympic Games since 2014, as well as the intense political tensions between the two countries, made for a white-hot atmosphere that the players leaned into. Fights, goals, and chirps, and in the end, a win for the good guys.
Not long after that, Alex Ovechkin’s “Gr8 Chase” of the one hockey name Kiwis might actually know, Wayne Gretzky. “The Great One” finished his career with 894 goals, and “The Great Eight” kept nearing it all through the season. He drew level against my Chicago Blackhawks, which was kinda cool to see, but also extra cool my team (and goalie) didn’t become the pub quiz question. When 895 did finally come against the Islanders, his whole team joined him on the ice, the game was stopped for a full-on presentation to mark a milestone many thought would never be broken.
Hamish Girvan (@girvana)
2025 served up a sporting feast, but nothing meant more to me than Tottenham Hotspur finally lifting a trophy. After years of false dawns and heartbreaking “so-close” moments, Spurs delivered a win from the “score and park the bus” game plan masterminded by the gung-ho style manager in Ange Postecoglou. For Spurs supporters, it wasn’t just a win; it felt like a long-overdue validation that the club could step into a Cup final and walk off with silverware in hand.
Closer to home, Super Rugby produced a storyline that felt both familiar and deeply satisfying — the Crusaders once again asserting dominance over the Chiefs in yet another final. It wasn’t just a win; it was a statement and validation that Rob Penney can coach after a frustrating season in 2024. The Crusaders are making the saying “who’s your Daddy?” pretty relevant with their ongoing dominance over the Chiefs in the games that matter. Odds of a repeat in 2026 anyone
And then there was Twickenham — a cathedral of rugby and, in 2025, the perfect host for an unforgettable end to the Women’s Rugby World Cup tournament finale. Being there in person elevated the experience and electric energy of the mainly England supporting crowd, the emotion of the occasion and the privilege of also watching the Black Ferns compete in the 3rd/4th playoff game will live in memories for years. It was not just a celebration of women’s rugby but a global event that had all the hype and swagger one would expect.
Richard Gordon (@gordonz)
The Women’s Rugby World Cup: “Who watches women’s sport” is a question you often hear from detractors. Good luck using that line after the WRWC, hosted in England across August and September. Record crowds, sell-outs up and down the country, record television viewership, record commercial revenue. Unbelievable moments starting from the opening display of dominance from England in Sunderland, to an incredible Brazilian try in Exeter, and culminating in a sold-out Twickenham final. What was impressive throughout was the huge number of kids – consider the next generation inspired. Who doesn’t watch women’s sport?
Martin Hearnden ( @marty_57 )
Two memorable moments for me in 2025. Firstly, Crystal Palace winning the FA cup, their first major trophy and beating Man City, no less, in the final. My football journey started at Selhurst Park as a boy when an uncle with a season ticket used to take me to games. They were 3rd division in those days, now EPL regulars. It’s not been an easy journey for them, often having to sell their best players, brushes with administration, but they are a proper local/community club with an old school ground. The magic of the cup.
Secondly, baseball’s World Series. Game 7 never disappoints, pure cinema. The play offs as a whole were excellent but the World Series went next level. The Dodgers were firm favourites but the Blue Jays got the series back to Toronto for games 6 & 7 with a 3-2 lead, surely it was their time? The Dodgers square things up but holy smokes, game 7…failing to close out the game, they had at least 3 good opportunities, will haunt the Canadian faithful for years. The Dodgers won it all, individual brilliance winning the day.
Shout out to women’s tennis, which produced 4 different winners in the slams and a fifth player won the end of year bun fight. Never dull or predictable.
Gavin Huet (@gavinhuet)
I’ve been spoilt this year which is pretty rare given my sporting allegiances.
Firstly, Tottenham Hotspur actually won something! Spursy indeed.
Secondly, the Springboks continue to dominate. Rugby is an easy game if everything is working well.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the Proteas won something. The Mace is ours. Oh, and as I wrote this, a series win (demolition) in India was being completed. Who would have thought, not even Hansie would have bet on this.
Stop the clock, I’ve won (until next year…)