The NEAFL boys faced off with reigning NEAFL Premiers, NT Thunder at Blacktown, in what ended as an emphatic victory for the Students.
Plenty of new faces could be seen in the starting 23 for the Students, with Tom McCaffrey and Jarrod Irving making their SUANFC debuts this week, joining last week’s debutantes Zac Fyffe, Sam Tagliabue, Jackson Potter and Mike Manteit.
The Students took a 34-point lead over the Thunder into the first break, dictating the game through their work defensively and around stoppages.
The second was much the same. On the back of some great individual efforts, such as Mike Manteit’s 3 first half goals, or the work done by Lewis Stevenson in the middle of the ground, the Students success stemmed from a great team effort, with players such as Jordan Law, Nick Foster and Monty Krochmal applying great pressure to an NT Thunder side who dashed the hopes of the Students in last year’s preliminary final.
The Students continued to dominate the Thunder all over the ground in the second half. Jake Derickx had 4 goals by 3-quarter time, while down the other end, the NEAFL’s all-time leading goal kicker, Darren Ewing was kept scoreless by debutante Jarrod Irving.
The last quarter saw the Students ensure the Thunder had lots to think about on their flight home. Excellent defensive pressure and execution of the Students’ gameplan saw our NEAFL boys win by 69 points, in a game the club and its supporters will remember for many years to come.
Lewis Stevenson was best afield for the Students, in what was overall, a good game for all in the starting 23.
Final Score: Sydney University 16.16 122 def. NT Thunder 6.6 42.
