“I received an ‘I wish you were dead’ tweet just now. My dear friend, I am in my 80s, just be patient.” - Australian cricket veteran and commentator RICHIE BENAUD bats away a Twitter troll.

“I know the truth. The truth isn’t what was out there, the truth isn’t what I said... This story was so perfect for so long... you overcome the disease, you win the Tour de France seven times, you have a happy marriage, you have children. I mean, it’s just this mythic, perfect story. And it wasn’t true.” - Confessed doper LANCE ARMSTRONG in his much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“He’s not a drug cheat - he’s a bully, he’s a manipulator, he’s been incredibly unfair to a whole lot of people and he’s a dead-set liar.” - Triathlon Australia chief executive and former UCI anti-doping official ANNE GRIPPER joins the conga line of Lance Armstrong bashers.

“We have the best batsman/captain in the world in MClarke23 (Michael Clarke) - He needs current cricket people to help him out not muppets.” - SHANE WARNE hits out at Cricket Australia’s top dogs.

FEBRUARY

“It’s cheating, but it’s worse than that. It’s cheating with the help of criminals.” - Justice Minister JASON CLARE at the release of the landmark Australian Crime Commission report into drugs in sport.

“This is not a black day in Australian sport, this is the blackest day in Australian sport.” - Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) boss RICHARD INGS.

“He stands, if I may use the phrase, as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of sport which this country worships and adores on a day to day basis.” - Lawyer GREG STANTON on his client sports scientist Stephen Dank, the man at the centre of the doping scandal.

MARCH

“I really don’t think I have an alcohol problem but sometimes alcohol doesn’t agree with me.” - Wallabies star KURTLEY BEALE after being suspended indefinitely for punching his Melbourne Rebels captain Gareth Delve and teammate Cooper Vuna.

APRIL

“Plenty of them have ridden against her before, and they’re probably still using vaseline to cover up the windburn.” - Trainer PETER MOODY talks up Black Caviar’s unbeaten record ahead of her first Sydney race at Randwick.

MAY

“Names have already been named so my reluctance to name names has been taken away by the names naming themselves.” - Businessman JOHN SINGLETON on what led to his spectacular falling out with More Joyous trainer and longtime friend Gai Waterhouse after the horse finished seventh in the All Aged Stakes.

“She’s 13 years old, still so innocent, I don’t put any blame on her. Unfortunately it’s what she hears and the environment that she’s grown up in that has made her think that it’s OK to call people names.” - Sydney AFL superstar ADAM GOODES on the young Collingwood fan who called him an ‘ape’.

“Get Adam Goodes down for it do you reckon? You can see them doing that, can’t you?” - Collingwood president EDDIE McGUIRE on Triple M radio suggesting Goodes could help promote King Kong the musical, five days after he was called an ape.

JUNE

“In football you should never look back - the only thing you get is a sore neck.” - Socceroos coach HOLGER OSIECK after Australia’s 1-1 draw with Japan and ahead of their following World Cup qualifier against Jordan.

“There’s not a lot that is good that happens at 2.30 in the morning at a pub or a nightclub.” - Cricket Australia chief executive JAMES SUTHERLAND after Dave Warner punched English batsman Joe Root in the face at a nightclub.

“It’s funny when you think that this time last year, I was playing AFL.” - ISRAEL FOLAU on his Wallabies debut.

“I wanted to run faster, because you get the adrenaline from watching the females run.” - American athlete TYSON GAY after running 9.75s, the best time in the world this year, to win the 100m at the US athletics championships.

JULY

“I always walked... bit hard to stand there with all three stumps lying on the ground.” - Former cricketer GLENN McGRATH, not exactly known for his batting, after the Stuart Broad Ashes affair.

“You win Olympics, Paris-Roubaix and now all of that is going to be tainted by this action... That’s the hardest thing to swallow out of all this.” - Cycling great STUART O’GRADY after admitting to doping ahead of the 1998 Tour de France.

AUGUST

“You put your hand on the inside of his legs and if it slides up and his nuts are at the end of it, well, what do you do?” - Souths legend GEORGE PIGGINS shares his view on the ‘squirrel grip’ that earned Sam Burgess a two-game NRL ban.

“It’s like putting a big gun in front of Bambi on this one.” - Legendary coach KEVIN SHEEDY on the AFL’s decision to charge veteran Essendon club doctor Bruce Reid.

“I should’ve known what was going on. I should’ve done more and I’m very disappointed that I didn’t.” - Essendon coach JAMES HIRD the day after being banned for 12 months over the Bombers supplements saga.

“I reckon what he did... was nothing short of heroic.” - Human rights lawyer JULIAN BURNSIDE QC on Hird’s decision to accept his 12-month AFL ban.

“I might not look happy but I am.” - Newcastle coach WAYNE BENNETT after his side all but wrapped up an NRL finals berth with a come-from-behind win over Brisbane.

SEPTEMBER

“We spend our whole lives telling children not to play with matches.” - AFL chief executive ANDREW DEMETRIOU after a St Kilda player allegedly set fire to a dwarf entertainer in a Mad Monday debacle.

“He can talk for himself but he doesn’t want to right now.” - Boxer ANTHONY MUNDINE, speaking on behalf of cousin and wayward NRL star Blake Ferguson while sitting next to him in a bizarre press conference.

“I’ve been assassinated over the last day and I’ll get assassinated again tomorrow, but they are small-minded people.” - Outgoing Parramatta coach RICKY STUART on his decision to quit the NRL club and move to Canberra.

“I was wearing a mouthguard. There’s no way I bit him on the dick.” - Former NRL utility ANTHONY WATTS after being suspended by the Gold Coast Rugby League over claims he bit the penis of an opponent.

“Bugger.” - New Zealand Prime Minister JOHN KEY’s one-word tweet after Team USA beat the Kiwis to the America’s Cup in one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks.

OCTOBER

“He is a big part of the problem. It is as simple as that. He should retire. He probably should have retired after he got us to the World Cup.” - Former Socceroo MARK BOSNICH on (ex) friend and skipper Lucas Neill.

“There will be no sleeping tonight I will guarantee you that. Welcome baby No.3!” - Ford driver MARK WINTERBOTTOM after winning his maiden Bathurst 1000.

“When the team loses you can’t pin the blame on just Lucas Neill, and when the team wins, Lucas Neill doesn’t take the credit... it’s not about Lucas Neill.” - Socceroos captain LUCAS NEILL, on himself, amid calls for him to retire.

“Mark Bosnich was a terrible professional. We played down at Wimbledon and Bosnich was tucking into everything: sandwiches, soups, steaks. He was going through the menu. I told him, ‘For Christ’s sake, Mark, we’ve got the weight off you. Why are you tucking into all that stuff? Is there no end to you?’” - Former Manchester United manager SIR ALEX FERGUSON rips into former charge and ex-Socceroos goalkeeper Bosnich in his new autobiography.

“It seems like they’re still behind the times with their boxing. It’s almost like the mafia days.” - American great SHANE MOSLEY takes a swipe at Australian boxing after walking out on his fight with Anthony Mundine in Sydney.

NOVEMBER

“It is every trainer’s dream and yes, it has been a burning desire to win.” - Trainer GAI WATERHOUSE after winning her first Melbourne Cup with Fiorente.

“I was a full-blown cokehead.” - Former boxer MIKE TYSON reveals all in his new autobiography.

“To hear Lusi call out ‘daddy’, I sort of turned around and I thought, I’ve got to find her and give her one last cuddle. That was it, that was the end of me. Once that happened I was an absolute mess.” - JARROD LYLE on his return to golf, in front of his daughter, at the Australian Masters after battling a second bout of cancer.

“England are on the back foot and it does look like they’ve got scared eyes. The way Trotty (Jonathan Trott) got out today was pretty poor and pretty weak.” - DAVID WARNER pulled no punches in his criticism of England’s performance with the bat in the first Ashes Test.

“It’s like taking an AK47 to a water pistol fight.” - Wild Oats XI skipper MARK RICHARDS rates his yacht at the one-month countdown to the Sydney to Hobart.

DECEMBER

“If there was a Harlem Globetrotters of rugby league, he’d be in it.” - BRETT MORRIS on teammate Jarryd Hayne, whose volleyed kick set up a memorable try for Morris in Australia’s 34-2 win over New Zealand in the Rugby League World Cup final.

“No matter how excited I try to sound my voice always sounds boring - that’s just my voice, I’m sorry.” - British tennis player ANDY MURRAY after winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.