Sydney University Touch has capped its return to the Vawdon Cup with a Men’s Division 4 premiership, defeating Parramatta Eels 5-3 in the Grand Final.
Competing in the NSW Touch competition for the first time in several years, Sydney Uni recorded eight wins and just one narrow loss during the regular season before winning two closely contested finals to secure the title.
The result marks a successful return to the weekly Sydney metropolitan competition and gives the club momentum ahead of December’s NSW State Cup, where it will field two men’s teams.
Played across Friday nights and Sunday afternoons from September to early November, the Vawdon Cup brought Sydney Uni into regular competition against clubs from across the metropolitan region.
With one men’s team entered, the club was allocated to Division 4 largely due to its absence from the competition in recent years. Sydney Uni quickly established itself as a contender, finishing the regular season in second place with an 8-1 record.
That consistency earned the team a place in the finals, where its closest contest was still to come.
Sydney Uni faced Lower Blue mountains in a tense semi-final, with neither side able to break the deadlock by the end of normal time.
Locked at 5-5, the match went into drop off. (Touch Football extra-time format). With a Grand Final place at stake, Sydney Uni scored the decisive try to claim a 6-5 victory.
The win set up a meeting with Parramatta Eels in the premiership decider. Sydney Uni secured a 5-3 victory to complete its return season with the Division 4 title.
Attention now turns to the NSW State Cup, held in Port Macquarie on the first weekend of December.
Sydney Uni will enter two men’s teams in the annual tournament, giving more players the opportunity to represent the club at state level.
Both teams will begin in the pools, playing approximately seven matches across Friday and Saturday. To then progress to the finals on Sunday.
The tournament presents a different challenge to the weekly Vawdon Cup, with teams required to back up across several matches each day.
After a premiership-winning return to Vawdon Cup, Sydney Uni will head to Port Macquarie looking to build on that success and finish its competitive season strongly.
