1. MELBOURNE STORM SALARY CAP SCANDAL

As sports stories go in Australia, there haven't been many bigger. Bodyline, sure. Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics, sure. But this came close. After being found guilty of systematic rorting the NRL salary cap, the premier team in the competition for most of the past five years had their 2007 and 2009 premierships taken from them, were not allowed to play for premiership points in 2010 and, for good measure, were fined $1.7 million.

A lesser club might have imploded. But the Storm players and coaches dusted themselves down and - through some admittedly dark and depressing times - represented the club with aplomb, winning 14 of 24 matches in the season, an astonishing tally given that they were playing for nothing except pride.

But the Storm 2011 team will bear little resemblance to the one that took all before it in the previous decade. There'll be no Inglis, Folau, Hoffman, Johnson, Lima and others. Instead, a new side, with the nucleus of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk intact, will attempt to resurrect the club's reputation and win 'clean'.

2. WORLD CUP FIZZERS, 2010 and 2022

This is a double-header. Because it includes not just the horror World Cup opener in South Africa when our boys were totally demoralised by Germany, 4-0, but also the more recent debacle when Australia's $45million pitch for the 2022 World Cup garnered just one solitary vote.

Pim Verbeek's tactics in the Socceroos' opening cup match generated enormous debate. Did he toss in the towel and give up hope of winning, trying instead to escape with an honourable draw? Whatever, the Durban Disaster came back to haunt us because, despite producing a draw and win in the remaining two matches, Australia missed out on qualifying on goal difference.

As for our tactics among the sharks and charlatans at FIFA, clearly Frank Lowy's directive to his FFA colleagues to play by Marquis of Queensberry rules - no corruption, bribery or palm-greasing - did us no favours among the FIFA executive where such language is spoken fluently. Qatar was chosen as host city, ahead of the US and Australia.

3. TWO AFL GRAND FINALS

The 2010 AFL Grand Final was so good, they played it twice.

The first time around saw Collingwood squander a four-goal lead to St Kilda before scrambling late for a draw. As ‘44 tired gladiators' (as Mike Williamson would have called them) the AFL moved quickly to extinguish any calls for extra-time and enforce the rule that called for the game to be replayed the next week.

So after 100,016 turned up to the MCG for the first Grand Final, 93,853 were back the next in equally fine conditions. Lionel Richie entertained the crowd beforehand, but after that it was all the Magpies, who kept the Saints to just one goal in the first half en route to a 56-point win, for the club's 15th premiership and the first in 20 years. Tough, fast and skilful, the Pies look set to contend for the next few years to come.

4. GEELONG IMPLODES ... SORT OF

Strange year for the Geelong Football Club, with the coach potting his star player for contemplating leaving the club, then following him out the door. Gary Ablett was brilliant for the Cats all year, but bolted the club after the preliminary final loss to Collingwood for "the challenge" and the buckets of cash offered by the start-up Gold Coast Suns.

Mark Thompson was next, citing burn-out, but after a bit of a sabbatical and a lot of speculation, he ended up back where he played, at Essendon as the senior assistant to new coach James Hird. Chris Scott was named the new coach of the Cats, but there remains plenty of anger towards Thompson, amid phone records that indicate he was talking to the Bombers as far back as July.

5. THE DRAGONS, AT LAST

After 31 years of toil, the Dragons again ruled the NRL after a 32-8 defeat of the Sydney Roosters to win the Grand Final.

St George Illawarra had been the form team of the competition all year and once the Melbourne Storm lost its premiership points after the salary cap scandal, the Dragons rocketed to premiership favouritism and remained there for the rest of the season.

It was the sixth premiership for coach Wayne Bennett. Already adored in Brisbane for his work with the Broncos, he is now beloved in Wollongong and surrounds as well. He even cracked a mile - briefly and belatedly - after the win.

6. MARK WEBBER

Webber reignited Australian interest in Formula One racing as he took the lead in the drivers championship in the middle of the season, held it for a good while then was involved in a five-way struggle for the crown.

What also piqued Australian interest was the apparent favouritism shown by Red Bull to Webber's German teammate Sebastian Vettel.

In spite of that, Webber won the GPs in Spain, Monaco, Britain and Hungary and led the drivers championship until the Korean Grand Prix when he crashed out in the early stages. The Australian still could have won the championship at the final GP in Abu Dhabi had he won the race and Fernando Alonso had finished no higher than third, but it was not to be. Webber's teammate Vettel clinched the title with victory.

This month, Webber revealed that he raced the last four events of the season with a small fracture in his right shoulder, the result of a mountain bike crash sustained while riding at Lysterfield Park in Melbourne, the week before the Japanese Grand Prix.

7. FOOTBALLERS BEHAVING BADLY

Footballers and social networking sites spent 2010 becoming the best of enemies. It started with Joel Monaghan of the Canberra Raiders - the club's 2008 Mal Meninga Medallist - who quit the club in disgrace after pictures of him simulating a sex act with a dog found their way on to Twitter and then into the mainstream media.

Then, in December, naked pictures of three St Kilda players - including skipper and pin-up boy Nick Riewoldt - were posted by a 17-year-old girl on Facebook.

Earlier this year, Essendon recruit Andrew Lovett never even made it on to the paddock for the Saints after being charged with rape, while in the aftermath of Collingwood's premiership win, a couple of Magpies were at the centre of sexual misconduct charges, although at this stage, no charges have been laid.

8. GEOFF HUEGILL'S COMEBACK

Between 1997 and 2004, Geoff Huegill represented Australia in swimming and did so with distinction winning a swag of medals in both individual events and relays.

By 2008 he could have represented Australia again - this time in eating - as his weight ballooned to about 138kg.

But he then got back in the pool, got serious and became one of the success stories of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, winning gold medals in the 4 x 100m medley and the 100m butterfly, where his time of 51.69 was a games record and broke a 10-year old personal best.

9. STEPHANIE GILMOUR WINS SURFING CROWN No.4

Gilmore continued the country's rich tradition in surfing, and proved a worthy successor to Layne Beachley, when she became the first female surfer to win four world titles from as many attempts.

In recognition of the growth of her sport, Gilmore also became the first Australian in six years to win a prestigious Laureus World Sports award - for World Action Sportsperson of the Year - elevating her among the world's elite athletes.

At just 22, she'd seem to have time on her side to have a decent crack at Beachley's record of seven world championships.

10. LYDIA LASSILA, TORAH BRIGHT TAKE COLD GOLD

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Lassila won gold in the aerials, claiming Australia's second gold medal for the games after snowboarder Bright won gold in the halfpipe.

Both women overcame considerable adversity to achieve their dream. Lassila has previously competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, even though she had ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in 2005 and had radical knee reconstruction surgery. During the second qualifying round of the Torino (2006) aerials competition, Lassila's knee collapsed on impact after she attempted to land a difficult jump, re-rupturing her ACL and forcing her to withdraw.

Bright, meanwhile, crashed out in her first run in the halfpipe final. But she was the first competitor to make a second run and posted a brilliant score of 45.0, which remained the highest score through the entire field's second run.

AND THE HONOURABLE MENTIONS ....

Pole-vaulter Steve Hooker takes out the world indoor title

Wallabies beat the All Blacks, at last, in Hong Kong

Lauren Jackson wins her third MVP award in the WNBA

Jason Akermanis is sacked mid-season by the Western Bulldogs

Todd Carney goes from bush footballer to Dally M winner

Airing of Ben Cousins' two-part drug-cumentary

Appointment of James Hird as Essendon coach

Benji Marshall masterminds Four Nations defeat of Australia

Sam Stosur so near but so far at Roland Garros

Controversy over Sally Pearson's DQ in the 100m at the Delhi Games