6 wickets in 6 balls becomes Gold Coast’s biggest sporting moment of 2023
Move over Gold Coast Suns, there is a bigger name at Carrara.
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Move over Gold Coast Suns, there is a bigger name at Carrara.
Gareth Morgan, now known as ‘Captain Morgan’ by his club of Mudgeeraba-Nerang, was voted Gold Coast’s biggest sporting moment of 2023.
Morgan won with 37 per cent of voters, edging out the Gold Coast VFL premiership with 24 per cent.
Damien Hardwick’s appointment as Suns new coach tied for third with the Titans NRLW team making the grand final on 11 per cent.
Morgan’s six wickets in six balls made news around the world.
Bowling the last over of the last over of the round six clash against Surfers Paradise, Morgan picked up the last six wickets to claim victory for his side by four runs.
The off spinner finished with match figures of 7-16 from six overs.
Des Hasler, Damien Hardwick, Gareth Morgan – Gold Coast sports biggest 2023 moments
It was a massive year in the context of sport from the Gold Coast, but which moment was the biggest?
From the Suns and Titans new coaches, to Mackenzie ‘brickwall’ Arnold stopping the French in the FIFA World Cup.
Was there a bigger moment in the past 12 months that jump out at you?
We have scaled through some of the biggest moments of the year and put together 13 of the biggest and best moments around Gold Coast sport.
Brodie Kostecki
2023 Supercars champion
The Gold Coast racer won his first Supercars Championship in 2023, edging out Broc Feeney and Shane van Gisbergen in the final two races of the season. Kostecki finished on 2888 points, 323 points ahead of van Gisbergen and 447 points ahead of Feeney.
Damien Hardwick
Gold Coast Suns coach
It was the man the Suns chased around the world after Hardwick stepped down as coach of the Richmond Tigers early in 2023. Suns chief Mark Evans jetted to Italy in August to get Hardwick’s signature on a six-year deal.
MacKenzie Arnold
Matilda’s goalkeeper
When you look up ‘brickwall’ in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Mackenzie Arnold. The Gold Coast prospect became a house hold name when she stopped five shots in a penalty shoot out, getting the Matildas into the World Cup semi-final.
Gareth Morgan
6 wickets in 6 balls
Gold Coast third grade cricket made international headlines thanks to Gareth Morgan’s incredible 6 wickets in 6 balls. By now, you have heard the story, Surfers Paradise needed five runs to win off the last over, Morgan had other ideas, making history on the Coast.
Ali Day
Coolangatta Gold, 2023
At 33 years old, Day wrote himself into the history books once again this year, winning his ninth Coolangatta Gold. The four-time Nutri-Grain Series champion, whose strength is the swim leg, was chuffed to add another Coolangatta title to his bio. Day missed the 2019/20 due to injury, but has since shown how hard work does pay off. This year marks his 8th Nutri Grain Ironman Series.
Des Hasler
Gold Coast Titans coach
Arguably one of the biggest name in rugby league, Hasler played more than 300 games, including representing New South Wales and Australia on 12 occasions each. Adding to his playing mantle, Hasler also has more than 450 games under his belt as coach.
Jai Opetaia
Boxer
One of the best boxers to come out of Australia, Opetaia has had 24 wins from 24 fights including 19 knockouts. In late December he was stripped of his Cruiserweight Title as he prepared to fight Ellis Zorro in Saudi Arabia, Opetaia released his frustration two days later, knocking Zorro out in the first round.
Gold Coast Titans, NRLW
2023 NRLW semi-final
After a disappointing 2022 season, the Gold Coast Titans’ NRLW side came ever so close to premiership glory this year under the leadership of Georgia Hale. The skipper led her team all the way to the grand final, knocking over the Sydney Roosters in a highly anticipated semi final. Titans were clear underdogs, but came out on top 12-0 to secure their grand final ticket. The big dance didn’t go quite to plan, however, as a second-half comeback slipped away and Newcastle went home winners. A win would have made the Titans the first professional sporting team to bring silverware home to the Gold Coast. Don’t be discouraged, these girls will be back stronger than ever in 2024.
Gold Coast Suns, VFL
2023 VFL grand final
The Gold Coast Suns may still be hunting an AFL premiership, but their VFL side worked magic in 2023 to bring home well-earned bragging rights. They defeated Werribee 17.10 (112) to 14.9 (93) at Ikon Park, Melbourne. The 19-point victory was relished in by players and completed a perfect send-off for Connor Blakely, who announced his retirement prior to the game.
Gold Coast Suns Academy, AFL/ AFLW
2024 AFL and AFLW drafts
If a VFL title wasn’t good enough, the Gold Coast Suns polished off their 2023 season by setting up a future of many more. The club first secured four of their academy players in the 2024 AFL draft: Will Graham, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Jed Walters. All four teens have come through the Suns pathway and will now have their hard work seen on the big stage. Just weeks later, the Suns continued their trend by securing two more academy athletes – Kiara Bischa and Sienna McMullen – in the AFLW draft.
South Coast School Sport
January- November
There are 12 regions that participate in Queensland School Sport, but South Coast was by far on top of the list in 2023. As of November, the region had sent a total of 71 representative teams to the Queensland School Sport Championships in sports ranging from cricket to netball, triathlons to golf. Seventy-six per cent of those teams returned home with medals around their necks, including: eight bronze, 19 silver and an incredible 26 gold. Talk about promising youth.
Titans Netball, HART Sapphire Series
HART Sapphire grand final, 30th July
Round three featured an overdue overthrow of the Brisbane North Cougars HSS reign. The side, which has long been known as a feeder club to the Queensland Firebirds, had not lost a game in over two years before taking the court against the Gold Coast Titans. It was a sea-sawing match which ultimately ended with the Titans winning 63-58.
The Southport School, BA School National Championships
BA School National Championships grand final, 1st December
In true hometown hero spirit, The Southport School were crowned champions at the 2023 National School Championship, but that wasn’t the only thing special. The side defeated an illustrious University of Canberra Senior Secondary College, Lake Ginninderra (formerly Lake Ginninderra College), who were hunting a three-peat. Their 127-66 victory was significantly bumped by the efforts of skipper Ben Tweed, who recorded an impressive triple double with 42 points, 10 assists, and 14 rebounds.
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