ENGLAND without the pomp and ceremony. The music, the culture, even the politics, free of the usual opening ceremony pretension. The perfect start to an Olympics that produced an array of wonderful moments.

2. The AFL grand final

YOU search for a single, defining moment. Adam Goodes' late goal on a gimpy knee. Unlikely hero Mitch Morton's sealer. But the entire contest, particularly the manner in which the Swans twice came back from the dead, deserves to be celebrated.

3. Four Corners' Lance Armstrong expose

NO, NOT the exhilarating action that usually captures our attention. But the Armstrong investigation brought to the screen, in detail, the evidence contained in the US Anti-Doping Agency's damning report. Particularly compelling in a year when old-style investigative journalism was under threat as the traditional media contracted.

4. State of Origin 3

THE stratospheric ratings for State of Origin were crucial to the NRL's new $1 billion media rights deal. Queensland's Cooper Cronk capping a gladiatorial battle by kicking the winning field goal in the decider underlined the contest's appeal.

5. Adam Scott's British Open meltdown

Not sure you would describe it as the ''best'' moment. But it was one of the most compelling. Four shots up, with four to play, the wrinkle-proof Scott was about to clinch his first big title. Those who backed him before the tournament at 40/1 know what happened next …