With the handball season kicking off at the end of March, both the Sydney Uni women’s and men’s teams travelled to Goulburn for the annual Preseason Cup, a weekend known for competitive games, great food, and valuable team bonding.
The women’s squad brought a strong group of 17 players, including four juniors stepping into senior competition for the first time. Head coach Tomasz Szklarski used the tournament to test combinations and give younger athletes meaningful court time.
Across the weekend, the women played tight, competitive matches. They fell to the local Canberra side but secured a strong win over UTS, the eventual tournament winner, marking their fourth consecutive victory against last year’s national runners‑up. With two starters unavailable, the results were especially encouraging as the team builds toward the National Championships.
The men entered the tournament in a rebuilding phase after significant turnover, including the departure of Blue of the Year winner Lino Messerschmidt. With 12 players and a stand‑in coach, club president Desnik, the focus was on learning to play together and gather momentum in order to win the national champs for a 14 time and again go the World Club Championships in Egypt.
Day one was challenging as the group played its first matches as a unit. Despite flashes of potential, consistency was hard to maintain. However, the team fought their way into the qualifying final and delivered their best performance of the weekend on day two, defeating UTS 32–26 after trailing by one at halftime.
The final against Canberra was a tough assignment, with Sydney Uni having only 90 minutes of rest while the home team recovered overnight. Despite the disadvantage, the match went down to the wire, with Canberra edging out a 31–29 win. With more rest, the result could easily have swung the other way.
Both squads left Goulburn with valuable experience, stronger connections, and clear momentum heading into the 2026 season.
