Counting down the top Australian sports stars of 2019
Is it AFL’s Brownlow Medal winner, the Matildas’ biggest star, our world No.1 or the basketballers making a stir in the NBA, here are this year’s best and brightest Aussie athletes.
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15. NAT FYFE: Despite Fremantle Dockers winning nine matches all season, he polled 33 votes to win the Brownlow Medal in a canter.
14. ARIARNE TITMUS: The Tassie swim sensation had a brilliant world championships, winning 400m freestyle gold aged 18, beating US superstar Katie Ledecky.
13. SALLY FITZGIBBONS: Another excellent year where she regained surfing’s No.1 ranking after winning the Rio Pro in Brazil.
12. CATE CAMPBELL: Two-time world champion became Australian swimming’s biggest money earner in a single year after clean-sweeping her World Cup series events in Doha.
11. KELSEY LEE BARBER: Broke her drought on the international stage by winning the gold medal in javelin at this year’s world titles.
10. PATTY MILLS: The unsung hero of Australian basketball was the Boomers’ most influential player at the World Cup and continues to flourish in the NBA.
9. SAM KERR: One of the world’s greatest female footballers signed a multimillion-dollar deal at Chelsea.
8. ELLYSE PERRY: First player, male or female, to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in T20, notwith-standing her dominant Ashes series.
7. PAT CUMMINS: His consistent efforts catapulted him to the top of world Test bowling rankings.
6. JAMES TEDESCO: Had one of the greatest years by an NRL player, winning just about every award on offer.
5. STEVE SMITH: Outstanding cricketing comeback. He toyed with the English attack in the Ashes series, plundering 774 runs at an average of 110. Without him, Australia lose the urn.
4. HANNAH GREEN: The 22-year-old stunned the golfing world by becoming just the third Australian to win a women’s major, after Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb.
3. BEN SIMMONS: The first Australian to be named an NBA All-Star after helping Philadelphia 76ers to the playoffs. If only he could shoot outside the paint.
2. ALEX DE MINAUR: At the age of 20, carries the flag for men’s tennis in this country, winning three ATP tournaments. His ranking sits at a high of 18.
1. ASHLEIGH BARTY: French Open champion became the first Aussie female to hold the season-ending No.1 ranking in 43 years, collecting the ATP Finals title — and a $6.4 million pay packet — along the way.
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