SPORTING HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR

WARRNAMBOOL Seahawks veteran Tim Gainey making a game-winning and season-saving steal with seven seconds to play against Chelsea Gulls in front of a loud and passionate home crowd in the team's first Big V men's division one final in three years. Seahawks fans were on the edge of their seats as the cut-throat final went down to the wire at the Arc.

Gainey - a leader of a raw yet talent-laden side - stood tall when it mattered most. His mid-court steal thwarted Chelsea's last-ditch attempt to score. He pinched the ball at midcourt before throwing it into the air to celebrate the Seahawks' thrilling 68-65 triumph.

What made the win even more memorable was the fact Warrnambool, clearly rattled playing a high-stakes game, found itself 11 points down at quarter-time. But the Seahawks showed their mettle to fight back and send their playoffs campaign into a second week.

The jubilation after the win was infectious and highlighted how important a successful men's representative program is for the south-west.

People might be divided when it comes to local football allegiances, given the vast number of teams there are to choose from, but the Seahawks bring the community together. Warrnambool's season ended the following week with an away loss but the foundations are in place for men's division one coach of the year Bobby Cunningham and his team to go further in 2015.

Honourable mentions: Lewis Taylor's seamless transition from TAC Cup jet to AFL Rising Star winner. It was fantastic to watch the Terang Mortlake product play all 22 games, giving Brisbane fans something to cheer about in a rebuilding year; Koroit and Hamilton Kangaroos producing a Hampden league A grade overtime grand final thriller for the ages; Warrnambool export Trevor Gleeson leading Perth Wildcats to their sixth NBL title in his first season at the helm.

SPORTING LOWLIGHT OF THE YEAR

WARRNAMBOOL Seahawks proved how important a thriving men's Big V basketball program is to the south-west in 2014 in a year we sadly witnessed the demise of their female counterparts the Mermaids.

It was a quick fall from grace for the once dominant outfit. The Mermaids celebrated back-to-back women's division one crowns in 2011 and 2012 before a mass exodus relegated it to division two last year.

It was set to play in division two again in 2014 but a lack of numbers forced Warrnambool Basketball Incorporated's hand and the team was withdrawn in February. Efforts to get the program back for the 2015 Big V campaign culminated in a decision to enter the Country Basketball League south-west summer competition with star guard Katie O'Keefe at the helm.

But it didn't generate the interest to warrant a return to the state-wide Big V. The Mermaids had a wealth of talent at their disposal in their championship-winning years - O'Keefe, Holly Greene, Darcy Saunders, Kate Sewell, Carly Pulling and Australian junior representative Annie Blackburn among them. But many of those players left the program - netball came calling - and the depth the Mermaids once boasted no longer exists.

I hope the Mermaids can be revived and return to the Big V. But, sadly, it's a task which appears beyond the south-west's reach at this stage and a long-term or permanent hiatus is the most realistic outlook. 

Dishonourable mentions: Outgoing Camperdown coach Dan Casey suffering a serious foot injury which required multiple surgeries and confined him to a wheelchair for months put football into perspective; Geelong delisting Kolora-Noorat export Nick Bourke after just one AFL season; North Ballarat Rebels' straight sets finals exit after an otherwise strong and impressive TAC Cup season.

MOST UNEXPECTED RESULT

KOROIT upsetting Warrnambool to win the Hampden league senior premiership. Let's be honest, the Saints went into the grand final rank underdogs and deservedly so given they'd suffered three losses to the Blues in the lead-up to the decider, including a 72-point hiding in the second semi-final.

But Koroit, under mastermind coach Adam Dowie, proved me and a lot of other Hampden league observers wrong when it produced a 16-point win to take the premiership cup back to Victoria Park for the first time since 2009. The Saints raced to a 35-point lead after kicking the first six goals of the game to stun the Blues and a large portion of spectators at Reid Oval.

Koroit had a 29-point lead at the final change but doubts about its ability to hold Warrnambool off still lingered. The Blues fought back to get within striking distance but the Saints rallied again and when Jesse White booted a long goal it was celebration time. The Saints' win was one for perseverance and belief. And it elevated Dowie's standing as one of the south-west's best coaches even higher. 

WHO WILL BE CELEBRATING IN 2015

SCOTT Carter. Warrnambool will enter the 2015 Hampden league season smarting from its shock grand final loss to Koroit and Carter, entering his fifth year as coach, is keen to atone for the flag that got away.

The two-time Blues premiership mentor has put his charges through an intense pre-Christmas training block as they strive to make the big dance for the eighth consecutive season. Warrnambool has enjoyed a successful period and with captain Jason Rowan, fresh from another 100-plus goal season, Sam Cowling and Travis Graham still in their prime it appears set for another enjoyable campaign.

Throw new recruit, former Adelaide small forward Tim McIntyre, into the mix and it's hard to see Warrnambool missing out on another grand final berth. It's only early - the new season doesn't start for another four months - but the Blues are my tip for the 2015 premiership. 

FIVE NAMES TO WATCH FOR IN 2015 

ESSENDON picked up a skinny kid from Koroit late in the 2012 AFL national draft with a long-term vision. The Bombers knew Martin Gleeson, all 70 kilograms of him at the time, could play. The Bombers liked what Gleeson produced for TAC Cup club North Ballarat Rebels.

Gleeson was a smart and creative defender; a player with good skills who could navigate traffic and wasn't afraid to be hit despite his lean frame. Gleeson developed his game and body via the VFL in 2013 and earned a round one AFL debut this year. He went on to play nine games - injuries robbed him of a chunk of the season - including Essendon's elimination final loss to North Melbourne.

I think Gleeson is well placed to cement a spot in Essendon's best 22 in 2014, giving Bombers recruiters and the south-west something to cheer about. The always-smiling country lad could also become a fan favourite.

Other south-west athletes to watch include North Ballarat Roosters recruit Rowan Marshall as the Portland ruckman attempts to join Gleeson in the AFL after he was one of the hard luck stories of last month's drafts; Dennington cricketer Nick King, who has already shown that he belongs at both Warrnambool District Cricket Association division one and national under 17 level, could make a mark in Victorian Premier Cricket if he chooses to go down that path; Hockey rising star Madi Ratcliffe could gain more state and, potentially, national honours; and expect North Warrnambool Eagles forward Dylan Parish to give the Bushfield-based club the key target it has desperately craved as it strives for an elusive Hampden league flag. 

SPORTING HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR

HAMILTON table tennis player Melissa Tapper has overcome plenty of hurdles during her career, so her bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games is worth celebrating.

Tapper, who has Erb's palsy, or paralysis of an arm caused by nerve damage, became the first Paralympian to represent Australia at the able-bodied Commonwealth Games at Glasgow in July. She was part of a five-member women's squad which defeated India 3-1 in the third-placed playoff. While Tapper did not feature in the medal-clinching clash, she played an invaluable role in the lead-up matches.

"It's a pretty indescribable feeling, just amazing," Tapper told The Standard from the athletes' village. "It was a huge mix of emotions, when we had match point in the bronze game I was so nervous, right on the edge of my seat. Then when we won the medal there was a mixture of excitement and relief."

The Commonwealth Games medal was the highlight of a bumper year for the 24-year-old. She also reached the semi-finals at Australian championships in Perth early in the year and won bronze at the para world championships in China in September, the first Australian to medal at the event. The results meant Victorian Institute of Sport officials crowned her their elite athlete with a disability at a gala function in October. "I know I've had a big year because the moment I stopped I really felt stuffed, basically," she said at the time.

Honourable mentions: Panmure's one-goal upset of Old Collegians in the Warrnambool and District league A grade netball grand final, after the Warriors conjured a similar result 12 months earlier; Dylan Willsher winning the Jack Willsher Cup at Premier Speedway this month, a race named after his grandfather; Warrnambool and District league's stunning come-from-behind interleague triumph against Colac and District in May, having trailed by 27 points at three-quarter-time; Warrnambool teen Jordan Rooke winning bronze in the junior male section at aerobics world championships.

SPORTING LOWLIGHT OF THE YEAR

I'M biased here, but Warrnambool Rangers' heartbreaking loss in the Ballarat and District Soccer Association division one grand final was hard to take.

The Rangers had beaten the Red Devils in their previous three meetings before the decider at Morshead Park in September and entered as ever-so-slight favourite. But an 89th-minute goal from former golden boot winner Isaac Harbour condemned them to a 2-1 defeat. Having sat on the bench as an unused substitute, the loss was agonising.

But that pales to what those who had battled away for 90 minutes - Dechlan Picken, association best and fairest Martin van Rooy and skipper Nick van Rooy among others - were feeling. The Rangers exited finals in straight sets in 2013 but with an arguably weaker team managed to come within one match of claiming the title this season.

University is likely to break up the side next season, as could the demands of travelling to Ballarat every fortnight for away matches. But an exciting group of juniors made a name for themselves in the seniors and reserves next season and will hopefully fill the void.

Dishonourable mentions: Coach Simon O'Keefe's public outburst at an umpire following Panmure's narrow defeat in the Warrnambool and District league senior football grand final; the lack of state election commitments to redevelop Reid Oval. The Cramer Street reserve finally got its new netball shelter and an electronic scoreboard is in the pipeline. But 115 kilometres up the road, Colac's Central Reserve has $2.5 million of federal funds to use, which follows on from a $750,000 surface redevelopment in 2013. The state Coalition had promised a further $750,000 in November provided it won government, but this didn't happen.

MOST UNEXPECTED RESULT

FEW outside of Panmure gave the Bulldogs any chance of upstaging unbeaten Old Collegians in the Warrnambool and District league A grade netball grand final. Gun defender Emma Roache was sidelined and shooter Maddy White had departed for the United States, where she plays college basketball, after the preliminary final.

The number of doubters grew when Natalie Meade suffered a knee injury eight minutes in and the Warriors led 28-20 midway through the third quarter. But inspiring performances from the evergreen Josie Ellerton and the unheralded Rhianna Healey lifted the Bulldogs to their maiden flag in the grade, 41-40.

The win was the more memorable because Old Collegians had beaten Panmure as underdogs in the corresponding match 12 months ago. Ellerton earned best-on-court honours only slightly ahead of Healey, whose performance at wing defence, having played most the season in B grade, will go down in club folklore. 

WHO WILL BE CELEBRATING IN 2015

MORTLAKE is shaping as an irrepressible force in South West Cricket this season. Undefeated at Christmas, the Cats have a batting list the envy of rival clubs - and those in the neighbouring Warrnambool and District Cricket Association. Their bowling stocks are similarly impressive and after three consecutive flags they have the experience to win grand finals. SWC has reverted to a mix of one-day and two-day matches this season, with the grand final offering competing sides 75 overs to bat each. The format suits those who can bat lengthy periods, like Todd Lamont. And Clinton Baker. And Tyler Schafer. And Shane Slater. Let's not forget James Tarbolton, who has two centuries to his name already.

FIVE NAMES TO WATCH FOR IN 2015

FIFTEEN-year-old Camperdown triathlete Kurt McDonald is beginning to make a name for himself and has already upstaged rivals with more experience than him. The teenager is coached by his father Deiter, whose results in Ironman events across the world are well documented, and with much growing still to come he should only improve. His effort to place seventh in the 16-18 years' section in round one of the Australian Junior Triathlon Series at Runaway Bay in Queensland this month was undoubtedly eye catching.

Others set for big years include Bookaar siblings Penny and Andrew Smith, who earned selection in Shooting Australia's Aiming4Gold squad in November and will be keen to enhance their reputations in the lead-up to 2016 Olympic Games trials.

Warrnambool's Jamie Veal is likely to enter the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic as one of the hot favourites and his impressive start to the season - six feature wins before Christmas - is a career-best.

Warrnambool golfer Marc Leishman continues to go from strength to strength on the US PGA Tour and would be a chance to add to his maiden win in 2012.

And don't forget Hawthorn onballer Jordan Lewis, whose 37-disposal effort in the AFL grand final means he will no longer fly under umpires' radars when it comes to Brownlow Medal voting. The former CBC junior has become an elite player in the competition and is set for another big season, barring injury.