Students ready for historic first final

Sydney University's Tom Young in action. Source: AFL Media

This weekend Sydney University will play in their first ever NEAFL final, a significant achievement for The Students, who struggled in their early years in the competition.

By Tom Naghten

The Uni boys will take on Southport Sharks on Saturday at Blacktown Olympic Park for a place in the preliminary final against NT Thunder.

Sydney University’s General Manager Tristan Liles said the club are looking forward to a tightly contested match.

“Southport are a good quality side who will bring a fierce intensity to the contest,” Liles said.

“They overcame us last time because they were just hungrier. We bounced back last week against the Giants and we’re going to have to be even harder at the footy this weekend.”

The Students finished third on the ladder with a 12-6 record, beating every side in the top six along the way.

Sydney Uni’s performances in the NEAFL have improved steadily since their difficult first season, with 2015 marking a major milestone for the club.

“We built a long-term model that was very much based on bringing good people to the club,” Liles said.

“We generally attract players who have a fair bit going on outside of football. We like this because they’re generally very coachable, they understand what it is learn and to buy into the philosophy of a program.”

One such player was former Collingwood and Western Bulldogs utility Tom Young.

On Sunday the 23-year-old took out the league’s highest individual accolade, claiming the NEAFL MVP Award by one vote from NT Thunder star Richard Tambling.

“Tom’s story speaks for itself,” Liles said.

“It’s a bit of a fairy-tale really. He was a Sydney Uni junior, he was drafted from Sydney Uni and now he’s come back with a winning attitude. He’s been one of the players driving the results.”

Uni also had Matt Rawlinson and Lewis Stevenson finish eighth and ninth respectively in the MVP standings, joining Young in the NEAFL Team of the Year.

Sydney University remain the only Sydney-based state league club in the NEAFL, giving undrafted players the opportunity to play at a high level without moving interstate.

“Our ability to offer education opportunities as well as high standard footballs has helped us attract players and continue to improve,” said Liles.

Despite their impressive performance Liles said the club aren’t satisfied with their season.

“We’ve got our sights firmly set on the premiership,” said Liles.

“With our best team on the park I’ve got every confidence we can do the business against any team in the competition.

“Going forward we see ourselves as a NEAFL finals club every year. We want to continue the improvement and keep building a successful club with a good culture, not just in the NEAFL but across all sides in the club.”