ON THE TWELFTH day of August, my true love gave to me… a silver Olympic medal courtesy of two of Ireland’s favourite brothers.
Four Portugal draws, three Ireland goals, two Olympic medals and a one point difference in the All-Ireland final.
Sit back, grab a mince pie and enjoy our 1-12 of the sporting year.
1
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The difference between Dublin and Mayo in their replayed All-Ireland final. It was heartbreak for Mayo once again as Cillian O’Connor narrowly missed a stoppage-time free to tie the game, but the Dubs held on to win by a single point.
2
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The amount of goals Ireland scored at Euro 2016: Wes Hoolahan against Sweden, Robbie Brady’s penalty in the opening minutes against hosts France, and of course who could forget the Dubliner’s 84th-minute header against Italy?
The eventual winners drew their three Group F games against Iceland, Austria and Hungary. They needed extra time against Croatia in the last 16, and their quarter-final fixture with Poland couldn’t be decided even after 120 minutes, Portugal winning 5-3 on penalties.
They beat Wales 2-0 in the semi-finals but again, needed extra-time before Eder proved to be their winner in the final against hosts France.
5
INPHO / Billy Stickland
INPHO / Billy Stickland / Billy Stickland
Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and Robbie Henshaw all crossed the line in Soldier Field to end Ireland’s 111-year wait for a win over New Zealand.
6
Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
The number of years Sue Ronan spent in charge of the Ireland Women’s National Team. Ronan stepped down as head coach in September after six years at the helm, and oversaw her last game which was an international friendly against the Basque Country in November.
The former international oversaw three qualifying campaigns but failed to qualify for a major tournament.
7
Matt Dunham
Matt Dunham
A number significant to Leicester City’s meteoric rise from the third tier of English football to Premier League champions in 2016. In 2009, the Foxes won League One; seven years later, they topped the Premier League table, 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
McGregor made UFC history that night in New York as he became the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
9
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
There was a nine-point difference between Tippereary and Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling final. Tipp finally broke Kilkenny’s run of dominance with a 2-29 to 2-20 win, lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 2010.
10
Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The amount of points Connacht beat Leinster by in their historic Pro12 final win in May. For the first time in their 121-year history, Pat Lam’s side secured a major trophy as they beat Leinster 20-10 at Murrayfield.
11
Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
The incredible Cork ladies football team won their 11th All-Ireland title in 12 years in September. It was also six in-a-row for Ephie Fitzgerald’s side as he took the reins from legendary manager Eamonn Ryan. Cork also won their fourth successive league title this year.
12
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
12th August 2016. The date that Paul and Gary O’Donovan won their silver medal in Rio. The two brothers form Skibbereen in County Cork made history as they won Ireland’s first rowing medal at the Olympic Games.
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From that Robbie Brady goal to the O'Donovan brothers: Here's the sporting year from 1-12
Updated at 22.54
ON THE TWELFTH day of August, my true love gave to me… a silver Olympic medal courtesy of two of Ireland’s favourite brothers.
Four Portugal draws, three Ireland goals, two Olympic medals and a one point difference in the All-Ireland final.
Sit back, grab a mince pie and enjoy our 1-12 of the sporting year.
1
The difference between Dublin and Mayo in their replayed All-Ireland final. It was heartbreak for Mayo once again as Cillian O’Connor narrowly missed a stoppage-time free to tie the game, but the Dubs held on to win by a single point.
2
The position Annalise Murphy finished in as she won Ireland’s second silver medal at the Rio Olympics. The 26-year-old Dubliner put her London 2012 heartbreak to rest as she put in an excellent performance to finish second in the women’s laser radial sailing event.
3
The amount of goals Ireland scored at Euro 2016: Wes Hoolahan against Sweden, Robbie Brady’s penalty in the opening minutes against hosts France, and of course who could forget the Dubliner’s 84th-minute header against Italy?
4
The amount of games Portugal drew after 90 minutes on their way to being crowned Euro 2016 champions.
The eventual winners drew their three Group F games against Iceland, Austria and Hungary. They needed extra time against Croatia in the last 16, and their quarter-final fixture with Poland couldn’t be decided even after 120 minutes, Portugal winning 5-3 on penalties.
They beat Wales 2-0 in the semi-finals but again, needed extra-time before Eder proved to be their winner in the final against hosts France.
5
The number of tries Ireland scored as they stunned the All Blacks with a 40-29 victory in Chicago.
Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and Robbie Henshaw all crossed the line in Soldier Field to end Ireland’s 111-year wait for a win over New Zealand.
6
The number of years Sue Ronan spent in charge of the Ireland Women’s National Team. Ronan stepped down as head coach in September after six years at the helm, and oversaw her last game which was an international friendly against the Basque Country in November.
The former international oversaw three qualifying campaigns but failed to qualify for a major tournament.
7
A number significant to Leicester City’s meteoric rise from the third tier of English football to Premier League champions in 2016. In 2009, the Foxes won League One; seven years later, they topped the Premier League table, 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
8
The number of minutes Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez spent in the Octagon during UFC205. McGregor beat the then-lightweight champion by knockout 3:04 into the second round.
McGregor made UFC history that night in New York as he became the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
9
There was a nine-point difference between Tippereary and Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling final. Tipp finally broke Kilkenny’s run of dominance with a 2-29 to 2-20 win, lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 2010.
10
The amount of points Connacht beat Leinster by in their historic Pro12 final win in May. For the first time in their 121-year history, Pat Lam’s side secured a major trophy as they beat Leinster 20-10 at Murrayfield.
11
The incredible Cork ladies football team won their 11th All-Ireland title in 12 years in September. It was also six in-a-row for Ephie Fitzgerald’s side as he took the reins from legendary manager Eamonn Ryan. Cork also won their fourth successive league title this year.
12
12th August 2016. The date that Paul and Gary O’Donovan won their silver medal in Rio. The two brothers form Skibbereen in County Cork made history as they won Ireland’s first rowing medal at the Olympic Games.
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2016 In Numbers Looking Back Number Game year to a close