“I reckon if you told Corey that he’d just won lotto, he would probably say ‘Oh, that’s pretty good’.”

This remark was uttered by commentator Andrew Voss on Channel Nine’s coverage of the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series at Coolum on Saturday.

Nine had just aired an interview with Met Caloundra’s Corey Jones, just before they showed his stirring win in the ironman final.

The interview was typical, laidback Corey. Underselling his chances. No brash statements. Just an unassuming bloke who obviously loves his sport of choice.

If ‘Seagull’ was any more laidback, he’d probably sleep standing up. In round one of the series at Kurrawa, Zane Holmes accidentally bumped into Jones when the pair were leading the race early.

Rather than blow up, Jones just put on one of his trademark grins, which is usually plastered across his dial whenever he races, and got on with the job.

Watching him take on, and beat, the dominant duo of Holmes and Shannon Eckstein epitomised why everyone loves to barrack for the underdog.

Even his sister Chloe, who only claimed her place in the series after being granted a wildcard, has been holding her own by finishing third in the ironwoman on Saturday and fourth in the opening round on the Gold Coast.

Watching athletes or teams upset the apple cart every now and then keeps sport interesting. It’s why English Football’s FA Cup is so successful.

Barnsley’s extra-time goal to beat Liverpool in the knockout competition in the early hours of yesterday morning is a prime example. And that’s coming from a Reds fan.

Barnsley are a mid-table English Championship team. Liverpool, one of the English Premier League’s ‘Big Four’.

The player wages for Barnsley’s entire squad probably don’t even match that earned by Liverpool superstar Steven Gerrard. Yet they found a way to win.

In English rugby league’s Challenge Cup last year, the unheralded Catalans Dragons made it to the final against Super League heavyweights St Helens.

Although they lost, the competition’s nature allowed the Dragons to have their 15 minutes of fame.

It is something that Australia could probably do better. Wouldn’t it be great to see a yearly league knockout competition contested by the NRL, Queensland Cup and New South Wales club sides?

Or a contest involving AFL, VAFL, SANFL and WAFL teams?

Sure, the scope for upsets won’t be as great because the gap in playing talent is probably greater than that that exists between the respective rungs of English football.

And league and AFL are far higher-scoring codes, which also decreases the chance of boilovers. But it’s definitely food for thought.

Mike Hussey writes in his autobiography, Mr Cricket, when he watches a sporting contest he barracks for the favourites, because as a member of a very successful team he appreciates the work they have put in to earn that status.

I can see his point, but I reckon I’m pretty safe in saying that 90% of spectators present at Coolum Beach on Saturday would have been barracking for Jones, not Eckstein and Holmes.