University (rugby league team)

Infobox rugby league club
clubname = University


fullname = University of Sydney
founded = 1920
exited = 1937
league = New South Wales Rugby Football League
season = 1937
position = 9th of 9
premierships = Nil
runnerups = 1 - 1926
minorpremierships = Nil
spoons = 10 - 1921, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937,
win = 42 - 8 vs. St. George, July 15, 1933
^{loss = 0 - 63 vs. Souths, April 17, 1937
homejersey = University home jersey 1925.svg}

University is a rugby league team currently playing in the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League competition. There used to be a team representing the University of Sydney who played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership from 1920 - 1937, then in the NSWRL Second Division and Metropolitan League competitions from 1963 to 1976.

History

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 famous politician, jurist and President of the UN General Assembly) at the time the reasons were:

::"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."Fact|date=June 2008

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.

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). 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.

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 1926). To get to the Grand Final at the Sydney Agricultural Ground University had to defeat Glebe which they did comfortably 29 - 3, though in the Grand Final were defeated 5 - 11 by Souths in front of 20,000 people.

Players of Note

Australian Representative

* Ray Morris (1933/34 Kangaroo Tour)
* Jim Craig

New South Wales

* Harry "Butt" Finn
* Jim McIntyre
* A.S. "Georgie" Lane
* Edmund "Feather" Hanrahan
* Harleigh Hanrahan
* Clive Evatt
* Tom Linskey
* Tom Barry
* Frank O'Rourke
* Ray Morris
* Ross McKinnon

External links

* [http://rl1908.com/Clubs/Sydney-University-Rugby-League.htm RL1908's University page]
* [http://sydneyunirugbyleague.info/ University of Sydney RLFC Page]