The News ranks its top sporting moments of 2023 from the Goulburn Valley and beyond

And so, The News’ sports desk has decided to cast its eyes back over the biggest sport stories and highlight its favourite moments from 2023.

10) Shepparton back on track with BMX and cycling events

Shepparton took shape as a high-octane mecca for all things two wheels over the past 12 months, most notably in the latter part of the year.

Lanes lit up for the AusCycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships in September, followed by the AusCycling BMX Racing National Championships’ return in October.

The year ends on a high with another instalment of the Shepparton Christmas Track Carnival on December 30, rounding out a cracking year on the pedals.

Shepparton has staked its claim as a powerhouse of the BMX and cycling arenas and 2023 showed the nation once again that it can host with the best of them.

9) Hayes brothers score first Group One victory as trio

Groundbreaking is the right description for the year that was for Lindsay Park Racing.

History was made when Will Hayes, the third Hayes brother, joined the family’s training partnership on August 1 ― and the gun sibling trio didn’t have to wait long for the magic to happen.

At the start of the following month, all three brothers watched on as Mr Brightside stormed past the post to clinch a memorable Memsie Stakes victory.

It marked their maiden Group One success together as a trio, resulting in a true ‘pinch me’ moment for the Hayes’ to savour for years to come.

8) Oscar Piastri crowned Formula 1 rookie driver of the year

Oscar Piastri may not be from Shepparton per se, but his strong family ties to the area have made him a favourite to report on given his meteoric rise in Formula One.

And it’s safe to say 2023 was his year.

The 22-year-old superstar was crowned F1 rookie driver of the year, underpinned by two podiums and a sprint victory late on in the piece.

He beat out McLaren teammate Lando Norris to earn his best finish in F1 and was only 4.8 seconds behind Max Verstappen, garnering extremely high praise.

Piastri gave us plenty in 2023, and we can’t wait to see what he produces in 2024.

7) Steele Sidebottom wins his second AFL premiership

Thirteen long years.

That was how long Steele Sidebottom was forced to wait for his second AFL premiership with Collingwood, the Tallygaroopna product playing a big hand in the Pies’ 12.18 (90) to 13.8 (86) win over Brisbane Lions in September.

Sidebottom racked up 20 disposals on the wing, none more important than his final act in the fourth quarter.

With his side up by four points with less than five minutes on the clock, Sidebottom nailed a 55m set shot that sent the Magpie Army into delirium and placed the cherry atop Collingwood’s grand final display.

Additionally, the win marked a special day for Sidebottom’s teammate Jamie Elliott, with the Euroa export wrapping his hands around the premiership trophy for the first time.

6) Shepparton Gators claim Big V title

Following on from grand final heartbreak the year prior, Shepparton Gators finally got their storybook ending in 2023.

Josh Kooiman’s wide open three-pointer in the game’s dying embers sent a charged Shepparton Sports Stadium into raptures, putting the nail in RMIT Redbacks’ coffin as the Gators claimed a 79-66 win to lay claim to the Big V title.

There was no denying Josh Waight’s troops deserved it.

The Gators were electric all season, with the star power of Derek Murphy and Kooiman finely balanced with home grown stars such as Matt Bartlett, Tom Frame and Nick Dodd to draw the competition’s biggest crowds.

And as that crowd swamped the men in red and blue and hoisted players up to the net after the buzzer, Shepparton’s basketball community was finally united.

5) Harley Reid goes number one in AFL draft

Who would’ve thought the most highly-touted prospect in AFL football would arrive from a Goulburn Valley town of less than 2000 people?

Harley Reid’s selection as the 2023 AFL Draft’s number one pick closed one of the more remarkable chapters surrounding an AFL draftee, with predictions of the Tongala talent’s top billing made about a year and a half ago.

Way before then, the youngster made local headlines for booting 100 goals in a season for the Blues’ under-14s, and when his name was called out at Marvel Stadium, it was official.

Reid well and truly lived up to the hype.

But while it’s the end of one chapter, it’s the beginning of another as Reid has moved from Tongala to Perth, hoping to show the nation what a goldmine the Goulburn Valley is.

4) Shepparton United and Congupna win reserves flags

It was a year for the ‘twos’ in 2023.

Shepparton United and Congupna’s grand final salutes were two of the most celebrated victories in all of local sport this season, breaking droughts in the steeliest of comeback fashions.

Though The Road’s seniors bowed out to Mulwala, an inspired Tom Phillips mark and finish sent the reserves game into extra time where Congupna eventually got the job done.

It went down in folklore as the side hoisted its maiden seconds flag.

A week later, Shepparton United stepped up.

This time, Demons’ veteran Ramadan Yze played the hero as he slotted three fourth-quarter goals to turn the tide and defeat Seymour by a 13-point margin.

3) GV Suns reach Australia Cup round of 32

‘‘Biggest game in club history’’.

That’s what Goulburn Valley Suns coach Craig Carley labelled September’s Australia Cup round of 32 tie against APIA Leichhardt at McEwen Reserve ― and he wasn’t wrong.

A true David versus Goliath storyline pitted the Shepparton side against a Sydney powerhouse, and despite a 3-1 loss on the night, the Suns held their heads highest.

More than 1500 people filed through the gates at McEwen Reserve to watch the Orangemen meet APIA, ranked two tiers higher on the Australian football pyramid, on a night to remember.

When Russell Currie’s late strike hit the net, the loudest cheer reverberated throughout the stands as Carley’s boys stood up and challenged a titan of an opponent in a round never before reached by a Suns side.

Even if they don’t reach the national stage ever again, 2023 will go down as the year the Suns made history.

2) Katandra wins the 2022-23 Haisman Shield premiership

Everything was special about Katandra’s 2022-23 Haisman Shield premiership in March.

From the circumstances leading into the game, then the manner in which the Eagles darted from the jaws of defeat to sneak a 22-run triumph over Central Park-St Brendan’s, the club’s second title in six years won’t soon be forgotten.

A car crash claimed the life of Clayton Simpson, older brother of Katandra player Danny Simpson, a fortnight before the match, putting extra weight on the clash.

Then, in the game itself, Katandra defied all odds in a magical turn of events.

The Eagles ripped through Central Park-St Brendan’s, unwinding the Tigers in a 6-28 spell which shocked onlookers and sent the Katandra lot into raptures at the close.

What a story.

1) Cortnee Vine sends Matildas to FIFA WWC semi-final

More than a decade on from kicking a ball around St Georges Road Primary School, Cortnee Vine produced the moment that stopped the nation in August.

The fierce right foot of Vine speared Australia into the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time, burying France while simultaneously sending the Matildas onto the astral plane.

After 120 minutes locked in a game against the football superpower, Australia couldn’t be separated in the quarter-final, but the girl who once called the Goulburn Valley home could.

Vine’s winning penalty during the shootout cut the heavy tension building at Suncorp Stadium, sinking the French players to their knees and sending her and her teammates into a state of pure elation.

Vine’s strike will go down as one of the most iconic, ice-cold moments in Australian football history ― and we’re proud to call her one of our own.