Sydney University RLFC
Club information | |
---|---|
Full name | Sydney University Rugby League Football Club |
Founded | 1920 |
Exited | 1937 |
Former details | |
Competition | New South Wales Rugby Football League |
February 1920 | 9th of 9 |
![]() Team colours | |
Records | |
Premierships | Nil |
Runners-up | 1 – 1926 |
Minor premierships | Nil |
Wooden spoons | 12 – 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, |
The Sydney University Rugby League Football Club is a
History
The movement at the
- "Owing to the general dissatisfaction with the management of the Rugby Union during the 1919 football season, and the fact that University footballers were starting to realise that rugby league was a faster and cleaner game, several leading members of the football club, including seven 'blues' of the past season, took steps to introduce the league game into the University for the 1920 season. A special meeting of league supporters was held and decided to enter three teams, all members to play as strict amateurs."[citation needed]
Anti-rugby league prejudice
From the very beginning, the Students (or 'Varsity' as they were also known) struggled to gain acceptance by the University Sports Association who displayed great prejudice toward those who had left the rugby union side to play rugby league.[citation needed]
Indeed, players who participated in
1926 Grand Final
The highlight of the Students' 18 seasons in the NSWRL Premiership was their one and only finals appearance (having finished fourth in the
Year | Premiers | Runners-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|
1926 | ![]() |
![]() |
11–5 |
Withdrawal from the Premiership
Generally, the amateur students struggled to perform against the professional players of the other sides and University enjoyed very little success only winning 44 of its 226 games during its time in the Premiership (and only won 2 games after 1933). The club did not win a single match in 1935, continuing a losing streak that started in round 2, 1934 and which would run till round 14, 1936 and which marked the most consecutive losses in NSWRL/NRL premiership history at 42. This run of form, in addition to having spent 12 of its 18 seasons in last place prompted their decision to withdraw from the Premiership at the close of the
Life After the Premiership
Year | Premiers | Runners-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | ![]() |
![]() |
20–2 |
1971 | ![]() |
![]() |
21–15 |
Year | Competition | Ladder | Finals Position | All Match Record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Byes | Pts | P | W | L | D | For | Agst | Diff | |||
1964 | Second Division[3] | 7 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 248 | 277 | -29 | |
1965 | Second Division[4] | 9 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 177 | 386 | -209 | |
1966 | Second Division[5] | 7 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 32 | 313 | -281 | |
1967 | Second Division[6] | 4 | 0 | 16 | Semi-Finalist | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 146 | 159 | -13 |
1968 | Second Division[7] | 3 | 2 | 22 | Semi-Finalist[8] | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 263 | 163 | 100 |
1969 | Second Division[9] | 3 | 0 | 24 | Grand Finalist | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 213 | 202 | 11 |
1970 | Second Division[10] | 4 | 2 | 28 | Semi-Finalist[11] | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 322 | 248 | 74 |
1971 | Second Division[12] | 2 | 2 | 35 | Grand Finalist[13] | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 578 | 255 | 323 |
1972 | Second Division[14] | 5 | 2 | 25 | Play-Off | 21 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 435 | 349 | 86 |
1973 | Second Division[15] | 9 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 202 | 565 | -363 | |
1974 | Metropolitan Cup | 5 | 18 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 274 | 324 | -50 | ||
1975 | Metropolitan Cup | 3 | 2 | 23 | Finalist | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 498 | 285 | 213 |
1976 | Metropolitan Cup | 5 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 256 | 343 | -87 |
Wills Cup
As runners-up in the 1969 Second Division, University (along with Wentworthville) were invited to compete in the NSWRL pre-season competition (the
Despite the inclusion of mature players from other metropolitan University clubs and professional coaches, the sides were too inexperienced and light to compete with the senior club sides. University finished 13th (above last-placed Penrith) in the competition with 1 win from 4 games (their lone win, a close 19–17 victory, came against Wentworthville), with a points differential of -29.
University Shield Competition
In 1922 the University of Sydney Club presented the league with a shield for use as a trophy in a statewide High School Rugby League knockout competition. The competition became known as the 'University Shield' and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions in schoolboy rugby league.
The University Shield has undergone various changes in format since its inception in 1922, the most notable of these having been the exclusion of specialised 'Sports High Schools' which dominated the competition between 1996 and 2006 in a spirit deemed 'untrue' to the traditional concept of the competition.
Sydney Shield
In December 2018, it was revealed that University would be competing in the Sydney Shield competition.[16] At the end of the 2019 Sydney Shield season, University finished 10th on the table. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, University were initially meant to compete in the 2021 Sydney Shield but pulled out for financial reasons.[17]
Year | Competition | Ladder | Finals Position | All Match Record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Byes | Pts | P | W | L | D | For | Agst | Diff | |||
2019 | Sydney Shield[18] | 10 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 397 | 744 | -347 | |
2020 | Sydney Shield | N/A | 0 | 0 | Competition Cancelled[19] | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 24 | -4 |
2020 | Sydney Shield[20] | 7 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 176 | 218 | -42 |
University Shield Honour Board (1922–2007)
Year | Premiers |
---|---|
1922 | Goulburn |
1923 | Goulburn |
1924 | Goulburn |
1925 | Sydney Technical |
1926 | Tamworth |
1927 | Tamworth |
1928 | Tamworth |
1929 | Tamworth |
1930 | Randwick |
1931 | Tamworth |
1932 | Newcastle |
1933 | Cessnock |
1934 | Combined |
1935 | Newcastle |
1936 | Newcastle |
1937 | Cessnock |
1938 | Cessnock |
1939 | Newcastle |
1940 | Newcastle |
1941 | Newcastle |
1942 | Newcastle |
1943 | Newcastle |
1944 | Sydney Technical |
1945 | Sydney Technical |
1946 | Newcastle |
1947 | Maitland |
1948 | Taree |
1949 | Gosford |
1950 | Gosford |
1951 | Gosford |
1952 | Gosford |
1953 | Muswellbrook |
1954 | Newcastle |
1955 | Gosford |
1956 | Newcastle |
1957 | Tamworth |
1958 | Newcastle |
1959 | Newcastle |
1960 | Newcastle |
1961 | Tamworth |
1962 | Newcastle |
1963 | Newcastle Tech |
1964 | Tamworth |
1965 | Tamworth |
1966 | Griffith |
1967 | Orange |
1968 | Orange/Tamworth |
1969 | Tamworth |
1970 | Yanco Ag. |
1971 | Tamworth |
1972 | Yanco Ag. |
1973 | Moree |
1974 | Gosford |
1975 | Tamworth |
1976 | Ashcroft |
1977 | Ashcroft |
1978 | Tamworth |
1978 | Blacktown |
1980 | Chatham |
1981 | Chatham |
1982 | James Cook |
1983 | James Cook |
1984 | Ashcroft |
1985 | Ashcroft |
1986 | Toormina |
1987 | Yanco Ag. |
1988 | Melville |
1989 | James Cook |
1990 | Yanco Ag. |
1991 | Dubbo South |
1992 | Yanco Ag. |
1993 | Kingsgrove |
1994 | Kingsgrove |
1995 | Sarah Redfern |
1996 | Yanco Ag. |
1997 | Camden |
1998 | Westfield Sports |
1999 | Westfield Sports |
2000 | Westfield Sports |
2001 | Westfield Sports |
2002 | Endeavour Sports |
2003 | Farrer Ag. |
2004 | Endeavour Sports |
2005 | Westfield Sports |
2006 | Hunter Sports |
2007 | Junee High School |
Players of Note
Australian Representative
- Ray Morris (1933/34 Kangaroo Tour)
- Jim Craig
New South Wales
- Hubert "Butt" Finn
- John McIntyre
- A.S. Lane
- Edmund "Feather" Hanrahan
- Harleigh Hanrahan
- Clive Evatt
- Tom Linskey
- Tom Barry
- Frank O'Rourke
- Ray Morris
- Ross McKinnon
- Rod O'Loan
- Ernest Ogg
- Jim Dunworth
Records
Club Records
Biggest Win
- 34 points, 42–8 against St. George at Sydney Sports Ground on 15 July 1933.
Biggest Loss
- 63 points, 0–63 against South Sydney at Sydney Sports Ground on 17 April 1937.
Most Consecutive Wins
- 5 matches, 8 May – 19 June 1926
Most Consecutive Loses
- 42 matches^, 28 April 1934 – 29 August 1936
Record point scorer
- John McIntyre – 176 points
Record appearance holder
- Ernest Ogg – 118 games
^ denotes premiership record
Club Honours
Premierships: (0)
Runners-Up: (1) 1926
Minor Premierships: (0)
Wooden Spoons: (12) 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937
References
- ^ Corbett, Claude (5 September 1926). "University Now in League Premiership Final". The Sun (Sydney). Sydney: National Library of Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Corbett, Claude (19 September 1926). "South Sydney League Premiers For Sixth Time". The Sun (Sydney). Sydney: National Library of Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 45 (30 (September 5, 1964)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 46 (27 (August 21, 1965)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 47 (29 (July 30, 1966)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 48 (33 (August 19, 1967)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 49 (34 (August 17, 1968)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 49 (35 (August 24, 1968)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 50 (33 (August 23, 1969)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 51 (40 (September 5, 1970)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 51 (42 (September 12, 1970)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 52 (37 (September 26, 1971)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 52 (38 (October 1, 1971)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news". 53 (36 (September 16, 1972)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "The Rugby League news" (Grand Final Supplement (September 16, 1973)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Trove.
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(help) - ^ "Sydney University Draw". www.nswrl.com.au.
- ^ "Ron Massey Cup 2019 Ladder". NSWRL.
- ^ "Sydney Shield 2019 - Ladder". League Unlimited. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". NSWRL. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Sydney Shield 2020 - Ladder". League Unlimited. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.