I've gone on about it for years. I'm not a fan of the Halberg Awards.

What should be a celebration of New Zealand sporting excellence, more often than not descends into a feral debate- a debate that is frequently fuelled by a perception of judging favouritism and inconsistencies.

It's amazing how something so positive can be dragged down, so I've decided to come up with my own alternative finalists- my own Alternative Halbergs.

The finalists in the Alternative Halberg Awards are:

1/ KAYLA WHITELOCK

The now retired Black Sticks hockey captain fought her way back to fitness after the birth of her daughter, to again lead from the front in her fourth Olympic campaign in Rio last year.

The devastation of losing the bronze medal match to Germany was clear to all and sundry at the time. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and even harder for long-time Whitelock fans who have marvelled at the high standards she has set over a 255 test career.

Kayla Whitelock is a global superstar in the sport of hockey, appreciated more in the international hockey community than in the general New Zealand sporting public.

2/ SHANE ARCHBOLD

What can't you love about the Flying Mullet ? Well okay, the haircut is a bit questionable, but this dude is one seriously hard Hombre- in fact probably the bravest man in New Zealand Sport!

Turn the clock back to July, the 17th stage of the Tour De France with around 80 kilometres left in the day's racing. The speed is disputed - some say 68ks, others say 80, but what is clear, is that the Mullet was riding very quickly on a descent when he crashed so hard that he snapped his bike in half.

That wasn't the only thing that snapped. Aside from leaving us all feeling queasy when we saw how much flesh he'd left on the road, it turned out that Archbold had also cracked his pelvis.

For mere mortals, the story would've ended there, but the Mullet wasn't done. After screaming at the team car, he piled onto another bike and finished the stage. This guy is certifiable.

3/ HAYDEN PADDON

He's the Bogan's Prince! Fess up- we all have a little bit of Boy Racer in us don't we?

South Canterbury's Hayden Paddon is living the dream. The late great Possum Bourne got to dip his toes in the WRC, but Paddon is traversing new ground.

The 29 year old won the Argentina round and finished fourth overall in 2016. He's not just making up the numbers. Recent events have shown, that as with all forms of motorsport, if things go wrong, it can turn very ugly ,very quickly.

The skill factor and a high level of fitness are hugely important, but retaining a level of self belief and trust in yourself and your co-driver (John Kennard) from one event to the next,  make rally drivers a very special breed.

4/ LAUREN ELLIS

It's easy to get lost in the wash at the Olympics, especially when you finished fourth. Unfortunately for the Ashburton cyclist, she did it twice in Rio - fourth in the Team Pursuit and fourth in the Omnium.

The 27 year old looked like a lost cause heading into the final event of the six discipline Omnium: the 100 lap Points Race. Sitting in seventh place overall, Ellis wasn't about to die wondering.

Remarkably, Ellis accumulated a pile of points by lapping the field three times! Her gutsy effort left her just shy of bronze, but won her a new legion of fans.

5/ CAMERON BROWN

This guy has been so under-appreciated over the years, so it was the perfect start to 2017 seeing him acknowledged in the New Year's Honours List, becoming an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Most 43 year olds are content with a beer in front of the tele watching sport. In March last year, Brown won his 12th New Zealand Ironman, extending his record as the man to have won the same international race more than anyone else on the planet, and also as the oldest male professional to win an Ironman.

But here's the punch line: Cameron Brown completed the 3.8K swim in Lake Taupo, the 180 kilometre cycle, and 42 marathon in a race record time of 8.07.58.

I wouldn't bet against the now 44 year old Brown winning again in March.

6/  GEORGE BENNETT

Yeah I know, another dude on a bike. But hear me out.

The Nelson mountain goat  rode impressively on the Tour de France and struggled in the Rio Road Race. His heroics came in the Vuelta A Espana.

The Tour of Spain course throws up some truly brutal climbs, which seemed to suit Bennett more and more as the tour went on. So much so in fact, that his tenth placing overall made him the first kiwi to finish in the top ten in one of the three Grand Tours. A great milestone that no-one can ever take away from the 26 year old.

So there they are- my finalists in the Alternative Halbergs.

Excellence can be found in so many different places, with so many different personalities. I've got nothing but praise for all the finalists in the official awards, but for me, aside from the great cause, they event itself is something I'm not overly interested in.

They lost me a long time ago.

Twitter: @BrianAshby2