Education comes first at USyd AFL 9s

By Richard Withers

A wide range of faculties turned out at Sydney University last Wednesday with the aim of securing valuable points toward becoming the 2013 Emily Small Shield interfaculty sport champions.

Ultimately, however, it was a day in which Education was the winner as they overcame Agriculture in a lopsided final, with Veterinary Science and Business claiming third and fourth place respectively.

The Education faculty’s team squeezed into the final before flourishing when it counted the most. Efficient work around the stoppages saw Education continue to propel forward in the first half and at one stage, they kicked five unanswered goals against Agriculture to take a firm grip on the match.

Agriculture stemmed the flow of goals in the second half and finished well but the damage was done in Education’s first-half blitz, as they ran out 70-25 winners on the day.

The competition saw newcomers flock to ‘The Square’ at Sydney University for their first taste of the 9s format, which is set to become a regular fixture in interfaculty sport.

While a few teams were found crowded over smartphones watching YouTube tutorials pre-game, it didn’t take long for new players to glean an understanding of the AFL 9s format.

The accessibility of the sport to new players was praised and those involved were able to comprehend the different rules with ease.

The AFL 9s set-up also involved a kicking competition, with players taking time before the finals to punt balls as far down ‘The Square’ as possible. The challenge inevitably resulted in a farcical number of shanks, with Kodie Hawkins and Veronica Lee keeping their composure to claim the male and female titles respectively.

Winners of the AFL 9s title, the kicking competition and raffle on the day collected a range of prizes. These included a signed Swans Guernsey, tickets to see Sydney take on Hawthorn and tickets for the GWS GIANTS game against Richmond at Skoda Stadium last Sunday.