SUFC U16 State Championship Victory

The Sydney University U16 2009 State Championships campaign ended in a heart-thumping victory over perennial rivals Gordon.  The final score of 21-17 paid tribute to Uni’s relentless defence against a barrage of Gordon incursions in the dying minutes of both the 1st and 2nd halves.  
The tournament kicked off in Saturday’s mud and slush, accounting for a gallant, but out muscled Central West 37-0.  The team’s second hit out was against a beefier West Harbour side, with the boy’s superior speed out wide capitalising on some solid forwards work around the rucks. The final score of 43-5 gave us a handy cushion for what was to come – the need to win the pool game v Gordon, with a loss potentially derailing our campaign early.
Gordon’s discipline on a sticky pitch cost us the game 10-5 so we sweated on Norths not shellacking West Harbour to deny us a place in the semis.  Norths were triumphant but we went through on for and against, steeling ourselves for some country “love” in the semis v the boys from Hunter.  In the stand-out game of the pools, both sides played themselves to a standstill, with the Uni forwards going head to head with their country cousins to emerge victors 17-5.  
Our boys were ready for a rampant Gordon in the finals.
Monday heralded a sun drenched TG Milner field in dry conditions and the opportunity to put on some razzle dazzle. Uni got off to a flying start after a “Mortlock-esque try saving intercept” took us to 1 meter short of the line before the forwards tidied up to put us over in the corner.  The boys put on a second try after a sniping run down the blind, advancing to 14-3 before Gordon dusted themselves off to lay siege on our line for the last 10 minutes of the 1st half. After several try saving tackles, we were glad to go into the sheds with our lead in tact.  
An early converted try to Uni in the 2nd half had the on-field leaders calling for composure until the final whistle.  A never-say-die Gordon answered with two tries, leaving the Uni supporters having to endure a cardio workout for the last 5 minutes while Gordon repeatedly attacked the line before a boot lace tackle gave us the short arm to kick for touch on the bell.
The Tournament win was a testament to the dedication and expertise of our coaches (Ray Hudd, James Godfrey, Joel Rivers & Dane Cole- Clark, and to the boys who discovered the meaning of “Cool under Pressure” and did Uni proud, both on and off the field.