Halberg Awards

Great comments from Mark Richardson in the Herald:

Richardson said the All Blacks, whose season featured only one close loss to the Wallabies, were also a strong contender for the award.

But they did not have the same underdog factor as the All Whites, he said.

"I don't think what the All Blacks achieved was as remarkable.

"The All Blacks are the best in the world. That's the benchmark they've set for themselves. For them to be the team of the year they have to perform above and beyond what is their own benchmark."

Dick Taylor for sportsman of 2011.

Liked this from Gourdie:

Love most of what Gourdie says.

Yuck @ Stephen McIvor saying "You lost last night." when Ricki got up on stage.

Watched some of the Halbergs, was the biggest bore. An Idiot Abroad was great watch though.

 I love how we're �rewarding mediocrity� and �not giving it to winners�. So if an NZ tennis player was to make a grand slam final � nope, no award for you.

precisely the point that needs to be made clearer....the AB's consitantly ie every no world cup year dominate their opponents, if in a world cup year the win it, then it'll be a halberg for them....in olympic years who wins the halbergs - our olympians....sorry ab fans but the halbergs are there to celebrate not champions, but achievements outside the usual run of the mill performances ala the All whites in a world cup year! theprof2011-02-11 17:01:56

Richardson's a legend. Straight bat.

*waits for El G to disagree

On TV3 news video?

Theres a poll running in the article below on Stuff about who should have won the Halbergs - Controversy of All Whites Halberg win.(Hopefully the link works).

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/4646268/Controversy-over-All-Whites-Halberg-Awards-win

After around 4500 votes the All Whites are running at around 55%, All Blacks around 22%, Kiwis around 15% and 8% the Rowers.

Fix

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/4646268/Controversy-over-All-Whites-Halberg-Awards-win

The people 'spoke' with the Sporting Moment of the Year Halberg and that Stuff poll backs it up pretty well. How can these muppets argue with that?

Dick Tayler is entitled to his opinion, but I am hugely disappointed by his actions.
I remember watching his 10000 metre win in 1974 and his interview after.
It is a shame.

Stevo2011-02-11 18:07:23

Some old athletes lose the plot from time to time.

Andy Haddin
Wynton Rufer
Dick Head Taylor

Txt 8875 for 'yes' to CloseUp poll re Supreme Award. Much as I hate 'donating' to a TVNZ txt scheme, I have voted!

Steve Gurney on TV3, very well spoken and well said

John Campbell's open 'paper toss' gambit however   

Lonegunmen2011-02-11 19:09:29

I think the one thing that Dick Taylor doesnt understand is that The All Whites would never win the world cup which means that they would never have a chance of winning the award under his interpretation of the criteria.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/blogs/football-fever/4646596/Forget-the-moaners-the-All-Whites-deserved-to-win

this basically says everything I'm thinking.
"Yesterday, as some complained about the All Whites taking the plaudits, it's clear many Kiwis still don't realise the significance of what their team did in South Africa last year. And that is a real big shame."

Well spoken.

The AB's choked at the final hurdle again. BOOM

Surely it's about 'over-achievement' - and in terms of this the All Whites are clear winners. While all the teams achieved to a high level, only the All Whites really over-achieved, based on expectations, history etc. I don't think it is just about who won the most, otherwise the NZ 100 time champion of the upside down paper plane throwing championship (in theory) would clean up. I do think you have to take into account the scale of a sport and the expectations of a team. Their results were global news for a reason.

This is probably doing as much for football's profile as the WC did last year.

Thank you Dick Whatsisname.

(who are ya?)

The All White's results are compared to Georgia making the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup. Surely the odds of this are slimmer than the All Blacks winning it. And yet when did this last happen?

Bloody hell Dick Taylor, talk about throwing your running shoes down the length of the straight !!

I was totally rapt when he won his gold medal and then his award. I used to run around the local streets emulating his feat in my mind (oh dear, did I need to admit that). And now he acts  like a total loser. I cant understand people who dont get the significance of the All Whites World Cup results. Bloody hell, not just one result but three.

Dick its better that you are off the panel actually, you are biased

glad the all whites and Ricki won they deserved it, I still think the halbergs are a joke, and anticipated a bunch of whiny c**ts if the all whites won an awards. All blacks will still make a clean sweep next year whether they win the cup or not so Dick Tayler can go suck an alpacca. Azevo2011-02-11 20:10:32

one less dinosaur on the board - goodbye Mr Taylor

to late to whine now, if he had been a winner he would have organised some support - complacent git failed to comprehend the situation, and lost

and by his values we don't reward losers so it's quite appropriate that he should fall on his sword (and/or pack a sad)

poor little lamb

it's all a bit embarrassing.

I do feel sorry for the League team, that code always misses out.
I'm off to back a winner.

"I also want to dedicate this to the whole of NZ, to my family too, but there is one group who do not deserve this because they have treated me like rubbish.
"I don't usually read the newspapers or listen to sports programmes but my children do and they told me what had been said about me. So, I repeat, to all those that said anything against me, keep eating your words.
"But certain people who have not supported me, and you know who you are ... they can suck it and carry on sucking it.
"This is for all New Zealanders, minus Fairfax and Dick Taylor.

-Ritchie H

It really is disgraceful and embarrassing to see such a large number of Kiwis that are so small minded and ignorant of the true size of football globally vs the relative minutecompetition that rugby offers. You'd think the nation would be grateful that another sport was making head way on the global stage and actually take time to recognise this.

Mr Taylor won gold in the Commonwealth games didn't he? THat ain't the Olympics either is it!?

What sh*ts me off about this Dick Tayler chap, is that his ego and arrogance has seen the limelight taken from the All Whites in their moment of national recognition. The guy clearly doesn't like the sport, he clearly doesn't understand the sport, and he fails to understand what the All Whites achieved. He also fails to understand the criteria to the very award he is voting on. Democracy is another concept he clearly struggles with too.

I have been out all evening so haven't seen any other interviews he has done (we tried to contact him without luck this arvo), but it is convenient of him to choose to share his ill informed nonsense on Michael Laws crapfest of a show on Radio Live - somewhere he would certainly not be challenged for his ill-thought out comments - when making his announcement.

Tayler may have achieved much many years ago, but for now he is known for this childish, pathetic, ill-informed and arrogant outburst. What a pity.

This topic featured on Campbell Live tonight. John C asked tv veiwers to txt in whether they thought All Whites deserved the main award. 51% said yes, 49% no. (JC said this was the closest poll they'd ever had). I think 'rugby heads' fear this shift in favour of soccer, they fear change.

Does anyone know how many kiwis play soccer in nz, and how many play rugby - roughly?

roughly:

Football: Lots
Rugby: Lots minus a bit

But you see, 51% that voted yes were in support of the AWs. Of the 49% you include the people gunning for Rugby, League, Netball, rowing to win the awards. Football vs the rest basically.

I do think there are some rugby supporters who feel threatened though.

All Whites raising the profile of the Halberg awards. Didn't even know/care what they were about till the AWs won. Also I hate how everyone makes it Football vs Rugby. I don't mind rugby but when it's Football vs Rugby it's a no brainer so I end up hating rugby and their fans

Dobbo 3 news voted the All Whites, good on ya mate

Sometimes it's about the journey a team has been on surely, not about whether they ultimately triumphed?  What the All Whites did was more than continually beat a few other rugby teams.  Herbert built a team over several years that have taken NZ football from nowhere to the world stage and achieved excellence in their own way. They restored pride to NZ football and touched the hearts of the nation.  If sport was just about winning we'd have all stopped watching years ago.

Lonegunmen2011-02-11 23:47:29

Also - it shouldn't be assumed the "no" option means the ABs should have won instead, their was more than two contenders.