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Australian rugby league club, based in Sydney, NSW From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sydney University Rugby League Football Club is a rugby league team currently playing in the Saturday Metro League competition. The University of Sydney was represented in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership from 1920 to 1937 as University, and also in the NSWRL Second Division and Metropolitan League competitions from 1963 to 1976.
Club information | |
---|---|
Full name | Sydney University Rugby League Football Club |
Founded | 1920 |
Exited | 1937 |
Former details | |
Competition | New South Wales Rugby Football League |
1937 | 9th of 9 |
Team colours | |
Records | |
Premierships | Nil |
Runners-up | 1 – 1926 |
Minor premierships | Nil |
Wooden spoons | 10 – 1921, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 |
The movement at the University of Sydney to be involved in the new game of rugby league began in 1919 with a number of players (including seven University Blues from the 1918 season) viewing a game of the new code and deciding to switch codes. As put by Herbert Vere Evatt (a final year law student and later a politician, jurist and president of the UN General Assembly) at the time the reasons were:
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 rugby league matches were threatened with disqualification from ever playing rugby union at Oxford University or University of Cambridge and the Sports Association forbid the club from training on the University Oval (forcing Varsity to train with Eastern Suburbs at the Sydney Sports Ground).[citation needed] While public pressure forced the Association to relent, the club never once played a game at the University Oval during its involvement in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership.[citation needed]
The highlight of the Students' 18 seasons in the NSWRL Premiership was their one and only finals appearance (having finished fourth in the regular season). To get to the Grand Final at the Sydney Agricultural Ground University had to defeat Glebe which they did comfortably 29 - 3.[1] In the Grand Final, however, they were defeated 5–11 by Souths in front of 20,000 people.[2]
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 1937 season.
Rugby league did not perish at the University of Sydney and sides representing the university continued to play in various competitions. Most notably, Varsity played in the NSWRL Inter-District Competition, Second Division and Metropolitan League (predecessors to the Jim Beam Cup) between 1964 and 1976, finishing as Second Division runners-up in 1969 and 1971, both times to the leading side of the day Wentworthville.
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 |
As runners-up in the 1969 Second Division, University (along with Wentworthville) were invited to compete in the NSWRL pre-season competition (the Wills Cup) in 1970.
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.
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.
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 | 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 |
Name | First Yr | Last Yr | Apps | Tries | Goals | FG | Pts[21] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frank Ainsworth | 1937 | 1937 | 7 | ||||
John Allison | 1920 | 1920 | 9 | 2 | 6 | ||
P. Anderson | 1930 | 1930 | 2 | ||||
John Austin | 1920 | 1920 | 10 | 1 | 3 | ||
W. Austin | 1920 | 1920 | 7 | 2 | 6 | ||
Edmund Barker | 1937 | 1937 | 4 | ||||
John Barry | 1927 | 1930 | 14 | 1 | 3 | ||
Tom Barry | 1922 | 1927 | 61 | 15 | 1 | 47 | |
John Bassetti | 1925 | 1926 | 6 | ||||
Arthur Beckhouse | 1935 | 1935 | 3 | ||||
John Beckley | 1934 | 1935 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 21 | |
Noel Behl | 1930 | 1932 | 7 | ||||
Frank Benning | 1926 | 1930 | 67 | 5 | 15 | ||
Anthony Blomgren | 1935 | 1937 | 32 | 3 | 9 | ||
Greg Bondietti | 1927 | 1929 | 13 | 1 | 3 | ||
Bert Bowen | 1936 | 1937 | 10 | ||||
John Brennan | 1929 | 1930 | 9 | 2 | 6 | ||
Bill Brewer | 1932 | 1934 | 7 | 1 | 3 | ||
J. Bridgman | 1924 | 1925 | 22 | ||||
George Brown | 1929 | 1929 | 5 | ||||
J. Bryant | 1928 | 1928 | 3 | ||||
H. Buckland | 1931 | 1931 | 2 | ||||
Frank Buckley | 1929 | 1930 | 27 | 1 | 2 | ||
P. Burke | 1930 | 1930 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
Vince Byrne | 1920 | 1922 | 9 | ||||
E. Cahill | 1920 | 1920 | 3 | ||||
J. Callaghan | 1930 | 1930 | 2 | ||||
A. Callan | 1920 | 1921 | 10 | 1 | 3 | ||
Hugh Campbell | 1936 | 1937 | 21 | 2 | 6 | ||
R. Campbell | 1922 | 1922 | 2 | ||||
Tom Carey | 1937 | 1937 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 22 | |
Roy Cloutier | 1920 | 1920 | 5 | ||||
Jim Comans | 1932 | 1936 | 37 | 4 | 12 | ||
Paddy Conaghan | 1921 | 1922 | 25 | 9 | 27 | ||
J. Condon | 1937 | 1937 | 3 | ||||
James Connolly | 1930 | 1930 | 1 | ||||
Arthur Connor | 1926 | 1927 | 14 | 3 | 9 | ||
Russell Cooper | 1934 | 1935 | 22 | ||||
T. Corbett | 1920 | 1920 | 4 | ||||
Hector Courtenay | 1921 | 1922 | 29 | 3 | 48 | 105 | |
Jim Craig | 1922 | 1922 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 25 | |
Roy Cripps | 1921 | 1922 | 28 | 20 | 60 | ||
George Cummins | 1921 | 1921 | 9 | 1 | 3 | ||
Bob Cunningham | 1923 | 1923 | 5 | ||||
Martin Cunningham | 1922 | 1928 | 56 | 6 | 1 | 20 | |
J. Curtis | 1925 | 1925 | 2 | ||||
Gus Cusack | 1920 | 1920 | 1 | ||||
Bill Darragh | 1922 | 1924 | 35 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jack Davies | 1930 | 1937 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 38 | |
Vern Deacon | 1926 | 1928 | 24 | 10 | 30 | ||
J. Delamotte | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | ||||
Hilton Delaney | 1929 | 1930 | 20 | 7 | 21 | ||
Daniel Dempsey | 1927 | 1927 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jack Dempsey | 1934 | 1934 | 4 | ||||
R. Dempsey | 1930 | 1931 | 12 | 4 | 12 | ||
Roy Dinley | 1920 | 1921 | 30 | 2 | 6 | ||
M. Dodds | 1923 | 1923 | 2 | ||||
Leo Doran | 1930 | 1932 | 10 | 1 | 3 | ||
Griffith Duncan | 1934 | 1934 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jim Dunworth | 1921 | 1924 | 59 | 12 | 36 | ||
Robert Dunworth | 1922 | 1925 | 54 | 5 | 1 | 17 | |
Tom Edwards | 1935 | 1935 | 14 | 2 | 6 | ||
Jack Elliott | 1932 | 1936 | 24 | 1 | 22 | 47 | |
Clive Evatt | 1922 | 1925 | 46 | 1 | 3 | ||
Gordon Favelle | 1932 | 1934 | 31 | 16 | 8 | 64 | |
Jack Fay | 1932 | 1932 | 11 | ||||
William Fennell | 1922 | 1923 | 6 | ||||
Aldo Ferrari | 1930 | 1932 | 6 | ||||
R. Ferry | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | ||||
Vic Fetherstone | 1921 | 1921 | 8 | ||||
Hubert Finn | 1920 | 1926 | 88 | 9 | 8 | 43 | |
Bill Flanagan | 1926 | 1929 | 45 | 12 | 32 | 100 | |
Jim Flattery | 1920 | 1925 | 63 | 21 | 63 | ||
Frank Freeman | 1934 | 1937 | 30 | 6 | 13 | 44 | |
Rupert Frew | 1931 | 1933 | 19 | 2 | 6 | ||
Geoff Gartner | 1934 | 1934 | 1 | ||||
Henry George | 1921 | 1921 | 2 | ||||
Harold Grant | 1925 | 1926 | 13 | 1 | 2 | ||
Jack Gray-Spence | 1933 | 1934 | 24 | 15 | 45 | ||
Jim Gregan | 1933 | 1934 | 28 | 1 | 3 | ||
Frank Gwynne | 1920 | 1920 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
Les Halberstater | 1922 | 1924 | 9 | 2 | 6 | ||
Edmund Hanrahan | 1920 | 1921 | 20 | 4 | 12 | ||
Harleigh Hanrahan | 1928 | 1930 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 37 | |
H. Haynes | 1933 | 1933 | 1 | ||||
George Heery | 1927 | 1929 | 38 | 5 | 15 | ||
L. Henry | 1922 | 1922 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
Jim Hinchey | 1932 | 1932 | 2 | ||||
Fred Homer | 1936 | 1937 | 28 | ||||
J. Hyland | 1931 | 1931 | 1 | ||||
Paul Hyndes | 1922 | 1922 | 2 | ||||
Cecil Inch | 1937 | 1937 | 9 | 2 | 6 | ||
Norm Johnson | 1932 | 1932 | 9 | 2 | 6 | ||
Matthew Keogh | 1922 | 1922 | 2 | ||||
J. Lambourne | 1925 | 1925 | 1 | ||||
Alby Lane | 1922 | 1928 | 49 | 8 | 24 | ||
Frank Learmonth | 1934 | 1937 | 27 | ||||
Tom Linskey | 1920 | 1924 | 56 | 1 | 13 | 29 | |
Francis Lions | 1922 | 1933 | 38 | ||||
Alf Loton | 1936 | 1936 | 1 | ||||
Jack Lowe | 1928 | 1931 | 36 | 11 | 33 | ||
Dick Lynch | 1931 | 1933 | 32 | 3 | 9 | ||
J. Lynch | 1930 | 1930 | 1 | ||||
Jock MacNeill | 1930 | 1931 | 21 | 10 | 30 | ||
John Madden | 1931 | 1931 | 5 | ||||
Sid Mannix | 1930 | 1932 | 37 | 8 | 24 | ||
James Marks | 1934 | 1937 | 49 | 2 | 6 | ||
Cyril Massey | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | ||||
G. McCann | 1920 | 1920 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Ryan McCarthy | 1920 | 1920 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
G. McCaughey | 1926 | 1927 | 10 | 2 | 6 | ||
Eric McClintock | 1936 | 1936 | 5 | ||||
N. McClosky | 1920 | 1921 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Paddy McCormack | 1925 | 1929 | 52 | 9 | 27 | ||
Bill McCulloch | 1934 | 1935 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 22 | |
Tom McInerney | 1930 | 1935 | 53 | 8 | 77 | 178 | |
John McIntyre | 1926 | 1928 | 40 | 4 | 86 | 184 | |
Charles McKay | 1935 | 1936 | 11 | ||||
Martin McKeown | 1922 | 1923 | 19 | 1 | 3 | ||
Alban McKillop | 1920 | 1920 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 32 | |
Ross McKinnon | 1933 | 1934 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
Alan McLeod | 1920 | 1921 | 32 | 6 | 15 | 48 | |
Henry McLoskey | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | ||||
Jack McMahon | 1925 | 1925 | 11 | 1 | 3 | ||
T. McMahon | 1920 | 1923 | 20 | ||||
James McMenamin | 1929 | 1930 | 20 | 3 | 9 | ||
A. McRae | 1930 | 1931 | 15 | ||||
L. McRae | 1932 | 1932 | 11 | ||||
Herbert Milligan | 1933 | 1933 | 2 | ||||
Tom Monaghan | 1930 | 1933 | 33 | 11 | 33 | ||
A. Moran | 1929 | 1930 | 14 | 1 | 3 | ||
Michael Moran | 1935 | 1937 | 24 | 2 | 6 | ||
Ray Morris | 1933 | 1933 | 5 | 2 | 6 | ||
Horace Moxon | 1923 | 1924 | 21 | 2 | 6 | ||
Crawford Munro | 1922 | 1924 | 24 | 7 | 21 | ||
H. Murphy | 1922 | 1922 | 1 | ||||
Wal Murphy | 1922 | 1923 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 27 | |
Frank Nethery | 1935 | 1937 | 15 | 1 | 3 | ||
Trevor Newcombe | 1935 | 1935 | 11 | 2 | 6 | ||
A. Norris | 1929 | 1930 | 4 | ||||
Dick O'Brien | 1923 | 1927 | 41 | 15 | 6 | 57 | |
L. O'Brien | 1929 | 1929 | 4 | ||||
T. O'Donnell | 1926 | 1927 | 5 | 1 | 3 | ||
Frank O'Hara | 1935 | 1937 | 11 | ||||
F. O'Loan | 1930 | 1930 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
Rod O'Loan | 1933 | 1934 | 28 | 12 | 36 | ||
Frank O'Rourke | 1924 | 1934 | 46 | 18 | 35 | 124 | |
Ernest Ogg | 1925 | 1933 | 120 | 24 | 18 | 108 | |
Alex Owen | 1926 | 1929 | 13 | 2 | 6 | ||
Phil Parsonage | 1930 | 1937 | 22 | 7 | 21 | ||
Rex Pedler | 1934 | 1934 | 1 | ||||
Don Peel | 1934 | 1934 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
Charlie Peoples | 1920 | 1921 | 23 | 3 | 9 | ||
John Perry | 1929 | 1930 | 4 | ||||
Keith Pettiford | 1937 | 1937 | 3 | ||||
A. Powell | 1925 | 1925 | 4 | ||||
Lachlan Powell | 1926 | 1932 | 30 | 3 | 9 | ||
John Quinlan | 1931 | 1931 | 7 | ||||
N. Quinlan | 1930 | 1930 | 5 | ||||
Clinton Quinlivan | 1928 | 1928 | 7 | 4 | 12 | ||
Norman Quinn | 1925 | 1925 | 10 | 2 | 6 | ||
Harry Ratcliffe | 1935 | 1937 | 21 | 4 | 12 | ||
Leo Reddy | 1935 | 1936 | 12 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jack Redman | 1933 | 1934 | 10 | 1 | 3 | ||
Ernest Ritchie | 1936 | 1936 | 13 | 1 | 3 | ||
L. Roberts | 1921 | 1921 | 4 | ||||
Charles Rowley | 1926 | 1929 | 23 | 1 | 3 | ||
Reg Rowley | 1936 | 1937 | 6 | 8 | 16 | ||
Cec Rubie | 1929 | 1932 | 50 | 5 | 15 | ||
Jack Rubinson | 1936 | 1937 | 20 | ||||
Edward Ryan | 1922 | 1927 | 76 | 25 | 24 | 123 | |
Keith Sabine | 1925 | 1928 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Favel Satterthwaite | 1920 | 1920 | 12 | 1 | 3 | ||
Isidor Sender | 1923 | 1927 | 7 | ||||
Leslie Sender | 1935 | 1937 | 27 | 2 | 10 | 26 | |
John Sharples | 1936 | 1937 | 9 | ||||
Noel Sligar | 1921 | 1922 | 17 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jim Smyth | 1931 | 1932 | 23 | 4 | 12 | ||
Frank Spillane | 1934 | 1934 | 9 | 1 | 3 | ||
Jack Spillane | 1933 | 1934 | 19 | 1 | 17 | 37 | |
Jim Staines | 1936 | 1937 | 15 | 5 | 15 | ||
M. Stevens | 1927 | 1927 | 1 | ||||
C. Sullivan | 1936 | 1936 | 1 | ||||
Greg Sullivan | 1931 | 1935 | 21 | ||||
J. Sullivan | 1920 | 1922 | 2 | ||||
Charles Taylor | 1920 | 1920 | 9 | 1 | 3 | ||
W. Temperley | 1930 | 1930 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Bob Terry | 1922 | 1925 | 18 | 8 | 24 | ||
Jack Thom | 1930 | 1932 | 28 | 4 | 12 | ||
Tom Thorne | 1937 | 1937 | 2 | ||||
Dennis Treacy | 1935 | 1935 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Leslie Trives | 1932 | 1934 | 6 | ||||
Roy Turner | 1935 | 1937 | 21 | 2 | 6 | ||
Maurice Unwin | 1922 | 1925 | 32 | 4 | 12 | ||
H. Walpole | 1925 | 1925 | 2 | ||||
C. Ward | 1929 | 1936 | 17 | ||||
Jim Ward | 1921 | 1927 | 37 | 7 | 9 | 39 | |
Joe Wells | 1933 | 1933 | 1 | ||||
J. Wherrett | 1932 | 1932 | 3 | ||||
Pat Williams | 1920 | 1920 | 2 | ||||
Hugh Willis | 1933 | 1935 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Keith Willis | 1935 | 1937 | 16 | 3 | 9 | ||
Martin Willis | 1930 | 1930 | 7 | ||||
C. Woodhead | 1920 | 1920 | 2 | ||||
John Woods | 1926 | 1926 | 2 | ||||
John Woods | 1926 | 1929 | 58 | 19 | 5 | 67 | |
J. Woolfe | 1927 | 1930 | 3 | ||||
Ed Wynter | 1926 | 1928 | 25 | 1 | 3 |
Australian
New South Wales
Biggest Win
Biggest Loss
Most Consecutive Wins
Most Consecutive Loses
Record point scorer
Record appearance holder
^ denotes premiership record
Premierships: (0)
Runners-Up: (1) 1926
Minor Premierships: (0)
Wooden Spoons: (10) 1921, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937
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