Alex Powell - America's Cup sold to Barcelona
In March, Emirates Team NZ confirmed what we'd all feared for a long time and announced that the 2024 America's Cup defence would be sailed in Barcelona.
Granted, the financial boost of hosting it in Spain will be crucial if Team NZ are to defend the Cup, but that doesn't make it any less painful, considering the early mornings we'll have to put in to watch it.
COVID-19 had a huge say on how the Cup was last defended and 2024 should have been New Zealand's chance to enjoy it properly, as the world returns to normal.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised Emirates Team NZ put commercial interests before their country - it's literally in their name.
Andrew Gourdie - Cristiano Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan
Why did you have to go and do that? Why did you have to go and ruin everything?
Why is it that the best player in the world can’t be the bigger person, be mature about the situation, speak privately and respectfully with the manager, the CEO, and negotiate a quiet exit from Manchester United that saves face for all involved?
No. Instead, you had to be a sook, ruin your legacy with United fans who loved you, and go and cry about it with Piers Morgan.
PIERS MORGAN?! Ugh.
Messi would never.
Reece Labuschagne - New Zealand Football not re-signing coach Danny Hay
NZ Football's decision to not re-sign coach Danyny Hay has to be up there with one of the biggest failings in the sport in recent times.
Hay was publicly endorsed by his players, including EPL stars Chris Wood and Winston Reid, with former coach Rickie Herbert critical over the lack of clarity surrounding Hay's future.
Hay's tenure came to an end with New Zealand's 2-0 defeat to Australia at Eden Park, after earlier failing to qualify for the World Cup, losing to Costa Rica in a playoff.
Despite the results, New Zealand's future looks bright, with many of our young stars plying their trade overseas, and Hay was expected to help realise their potential.
Instead, NZ Football has ignored the advice of their most senior players and let Hay walk, as the All Whites look to start another World Cup qualifying cycle.
Stephen Foote - All Whites v Costa Rica
This is an indictment of referee, rather than player performance, but there was nothing that left me as downtrodden as the two video review decisions that denied All Whites goals and a potential place at the World Cup finals.
The New Zealanders made the worst possible start in their high-stakes intercontinental playoff against Costa Rica at Doha, going a goal down to a soft piece of defending in just the third minute.
The rest of the contest was all New Zealand and they seemed to be rewarded for their dominance, when the outstanding Chris Wood was denied an equaliser in a travesty of a decision that immediately entered the NZ pantheon of referee howlers.
Wood cashed in on a delivery from Matthew Garbett, but the celebrations were shortlived. The infamous video official intervened, ruling Garbett had fouled defender Yeltsin Tejeda, before delivering his cross - a laughable ruling that saw the NZ bench clear in dismay.
Two minutes later, the video official opted not to intervene, when it seemed Wood had a clear-cut case for a penalty, rubbing salt into Kiwi wounds, as they eventually watched their World Cup dreams evaporate
When you consider the All Whites were without key weapons Ryan Thomas and Sarpreet Singh, there's no reason to think they couldn't have replicated Costa Rica's efforts in Qatar by capturing their first World Cup finals win.
Natasha Payne - Silver Ferns losing Constellation Cup after winning both games in New Zealand
After both victories on home soil, the Kiwis only needed to win one game across the ditch... but couldn't handle the pressure, with the Aussies taking back the trophy.
After the Diamonds won Commonwealth Games gold earlier in the year, it would have been nice to see them lose the series and give our Ferns some confidence before the World Cup next year, but it wasn't to be.
Hopefully, we will get them back in the Quad Series early next year.
Grant Chapman - Reece Walsh leaves NZ Warriors
Disappointment and the Warriors seem to go hand in hand... wasn't last year's biggest regret RTS leaving the club early to begin his rugby re-education (and then cooling his heels for an entire NPC season during Auckland's extended COVID lockdown)?
Wiz kid Walsh was always destined to break our hearts, ever since he skipped away from Brisbane to join the Warriors and was then fast-tracked with obscene haste to the verge of Origin selection.
Warriors faithful fawned and swooned over his prodigious talent, and looked forward to the day he would take them back to the playoffs, never suspecting he wouldn't stick around to make any difference to his team's fortunes.
His debut season ended with a tempestuous display against Gold Coast and suspension, then he was inevitably nabbed with a white powdery susbtance at a Surfers Paradise nightclub. If that wasn't a red flag, we were all colourblind.
As the 2022 season unraveled, Walsh vehemently denied rumours that he would stay in Queensland, rather than relocate across the Tasman with his teammates... right up to the day he confirmed he would indeed rejoin the Broncos next year.
Disappointment doesn't quite cover it, disgust maybe.
Sullivan Harnett - All Blacks
Fair to say 2022 wasn't a great year to be a fan, let alone a coach for the All Blacks, after what was a turbulent season.
Off the back of losses in the Northern Hemisphere in 2021, New Zealand then suffered a shock 2-1 series defeat to Ireland, before going on to lose against South Africa.
Ian Foster found his job on the line, but instead, we said see ya later to John Plumtree and Brad Moar, before welcoming Jason Ryan on board who turned the All Blacks forward pack around.
To Foster's credit, once he got the backing from the NZR board, he seemed to turn the ABs' fortunes around, winning the Bledisloe Cup (albeit in a controversial manner).
New Zealand then secured the Rugby Championship, before rounding out the year unbeaten on the Northern Tour.
But sorry All Blacks, that's a below par year for me, we also lost to Argentina on home soil for the first time, we can't forget that beautiful performance from the South Americans.
Maybe, the end of year form will translate into World Cup glory next year. But to do that they'll need to be at our best - and the All Blacks have looked far from that this year.
