2012 performers of the year

QUEANBEYAN DISTRICT CRICKET CLUB

IT all began in 2011 but the Queanbeyan Bluebags capped off a once-in-a-lifetime season in 2012 as the club secured a clean sweep of all four major trophies on offer.

In a feat never before achieved, Queanbeyan picked up ACT Cricket’s one-day, two-day and Twenty20 trophies while also claiming the state-wide NSW SCG Cup.

Queanbeyan’s victory in the SCG Cup final over Newcastle side Merewether at the Sydney Cricket Ground in particular, will surely go down as a career highlight for every player involved.

2012 also saw a host of Bluebags players earn representative honours with both the ACT Comets and with ACT under-17s and under-19s programs – all coinciding with the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

QUEANBEYAN TIGERS 

QUEANBEYAN TIGERS 

AS sporting transformations go, they don’t come much bigger than that undergone by the Queanbeyan Tigers over the past 12 months.

Cellar dwellers in 2011, the Tigers turned the competition on its head in 2012 en route to taking out the NEAFL Eastern Conference title.

The Tigers’ emphatic win over the highly fancied Sydney Swans in their grand final showdown at Manuka Oval was Queanbeyan’s sporting highlight of the year.

Much of the Tigers’ turnaround could be laid at the feet of 22-year-old NEAFL coach of the year Kade Klemke who proved age is no barrier to success.

ANDY BLAIR

ANDY BLAIR

QUEANBEYAN mountain biker Andy Blair entered 2012 already a member of the Queanbeyan Sports Hall of Fame. But at 32 years of age, the endurance rider was just getting warmed up.

The past 12 months saw Blair rise to the pinnacle of his sport, taking out the Australian Marathon Championships and the MTB Cross Country National Series.

Blair’s success also saw him represent Australia at the World Marathon Championships in France in October, an achievement he will be looking to emulate in 2013.

Blair’s victories in a number of prestigious stage races around the country including defending his Ingkerreke Enduro title capped off a stellar year for the Swell Design Group racer.

MARK WEBBER 

MARK WEBBER 

HE may not have been able to track down an elusive Driver’s Championship but after 10 years competing in perhaps the world’s most elite sport, Mark Webber proved once again he is still a force in Formula One.

The 36-year-old’s victories at the Monaco and British grand prix took his career tally of Formula One wins to nine and saw him well in title contention midway through the season.

Webber has already signed on with Red Bull racing for at least one more season meaning the Queanbeyan born sporting superstar will have another crack at championship glory in 2013.

SUZY BALOGH

SUZY BALOGH

AT 39 years of age, Suzy Balogh has been written off more than once already during her illustrious sporting career.

But the Athens gold medallist proved the doubters wrong yet again last August, representing Australia with distinction at the 2012 London Olympics.

Her sixth-place finish in the Women’s Trap final was an impressive return to the world stage having been overlooked for Olympic selection in Beijing four years earlier.

In the wake of her London success, Balogh has already committed to shooting on until at least the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. 

What do you think? Is there anyone the Queanbeyan Age has missed? Add your voice to the discussion of Queanbeyan's 2012 Sports Performer of the Year here, or on the Queanbeyan Age Facebook page.