Welcome To University AFL
Home of the University Blues Australian Rules Football Club.
Round 10 - Uni A flog Shore, Uni B finish top of Div B
University Div A def North Shore, 14 - 8 - 92 v 3 - 10 - 28
University Div B def Barbarians by forfeit.
Div A - A nice result leading into finals
The Uni Blues defeated spirited Tigers side by 64 points at Onepoto domain.
Kicking into a stiff hurricane, the boys started well restricting the North Shore scoring oppurtunities while working hard to get it up the ground. Poppy and Badge were giving us some good work out of the guts while the half back line held well. Spoons was proving to be very dangerous across half forward and a nice crumb by Bonce gave us our only goal for the qtr and we went in with a 3 pt lead.
We were much more direct in the second qtr using the breeze. Poppy was using the ball well while Kumo was working hard in the forward line. Crutch was also handy running through half back and Peachy was workign hard as well. Goals to Poppy, Bonce and Badge amongst other had us in front with a good lead.
A great 3rd qtr against the wind. We outscored them easily and worked really hard. Again the like of Badge and Spoons were killing them (Spoons nearly literally when he smashed the Shore bloke in a marking contest). Highlight of the qtr was a left footed shank from Peachy that somehow defied the laws of physics and sailed throgh the middle.
While the 4th qtrs had let us down previously, we ran out the 4th qtr well. Crutch having been moevd to half forward was fantastic, Badge shinned anouther one through and Bince got another and by the time the final siren went, we had won by 46 points.
A big thanks to Rocky, Jon Rawston, Ben G and Nipper who fronted up for the Tigers to make 18 a side
Best
Poppy - Enjoyed his run on the ball
Spoons - Great across half forward
Badge - Another great game on one leg
Red Banger - Very stylish
Peach - Goal of the year
Round 9 - Uni A on the improve, Uni B march on
University Div A lost to Mt Roskill, 10 - 14 - 74 v 7 - 4 - 46
University Div B def Manurewa, 8 - 8 - 56 v 6 - 3 - 39
Div A - Some outstanding patches in loss to Saints
The Uni Blues went down with much more of a fight in the loss to Mt Roskill.
A much harder effort was needed after the last display against the Saints and the Uni Blues started off like a rocket. Some good midfield work from Warnie and Axe saw us spend alot of time inside forward 50. Tonga got on the end of one early on. Parko was very solid on the wing and jagged one himself. Jar was great roaming around half forward as well. It was great to see the committment from the boys kicking into the wind and we went in with an 8pt lead at 1/4 time.
The 2nd term saw Roskill more committed to the ball against the wind. Again patches of great footy saw the boys repel some Roskill incursions. Aides was punching all day. Ando was gettiong plenty of it, but it was those lapses in concentration that saw us end the term behind.
In the 3rd it was rinse and repeat of the 2nd qtr. Again some glimpses of premiership footy were let down by some ordinary skills and poor decision making. We were getting enough footy. Neb was doing some great work int he middle, Lebov2 was showing us some serious speed. Roskill managed to make better use of their forward entries and went in a 4 goal lead.
The 4th qtr was an area of concern for the Blues of late but we got out of the blocks quickly and had managed to reduce the deficit, howeverm Roskill maintained the pressure and were able to kick away. Spoons took a cracker and converted and while were only 4 goals down, we were unable to make any headway.
Best
Warnie - Great game from the nuggety leg spinner
Ando - Countless rebounding 50's from cricket superstar
Parko - Great all day down the wing and a great goal
Benny - Great to have him back
Jar - Doesn't play a bad game when he doesn;t have to kick!
Div B - The march continues
What a difference a fortnight makes!
2 weeks ago, we gave up a lead against Rewa int he last qtr, but this time it was the Blues who finished off much better to beatr Rewa by 17 points.
Jono Rawston and Harrison Manks were the catalyst for a outstanding dislpay. Jono R was fantastic in the guts all day continually running into space to set up our forward thrusts while Harrison was superb across half back.
The backline was fantastic. Ben G was great at full back, not being afraid to leave his man to help out his fellow defenders. Jono Sharrock was punching all day.
Up forward Hugh was all over it like a rash winning free kicks, presenting into space and kicked a few goals. Rocky was great across half forward.
Overall, it was a great effort.
Best
Harrison, Jon Rawston, Hugh, Rocky
Round 8 - Uni A held to draw, Uni B dispatch Pakuranga
University Div A drew with Waitakere, 10 - 8 - 68 each
University Div B def Pakuranga, 10 - 2 - 62 v 3 - 8 - 26
Div A - Much better display from the Blues
The Senior boys put in a much better dispplay this week to draw against a fast finishing Waitakere.
Kicking against Hurricane Sandy, the boys worked hard into the breeze. A feature early on which was not evident at all the week before was the linking of handballs out of the backline and running to receive handballs from marks/free kicks. While we worked very hard, Waitak were able to use the breeze to deposit the ball deep into our defensive 50. Some desperate defence kept them to 2 goals and a small lead at qtr time.
With the advantage of the gale, we started pumping the ball in long into Spoons and Tonga. They were working hard to get the ball to ground if they didn't mark it themselves. Jar was dominating in the guts and worked well with Badge and Neb. Neb was getting a heap of footy was looking very classy. DCT and MG were providing a big target across half forward as well. The pressure finally told when we were able to kick 5 goals with the wind to take a half time lead.
Again we needed to work hard in the 3rd qtr. Waitak got off to a flyer and had reduced the lead in what seemed like the blink of an eye. From there we seemed to get back into the game and a downfield/50m/free kick combo got Tonga a goal. Our backline was working hard. Aides was beating his man comfortably. Badge and Neb were working tirelessly across the middle. At 3/4 time we were up by a point.
Kicking with the wind in the last qtr needed a big effort, but it was Waitak who produced a bigger effort into wind. Goals from Spoons and Tonga got us out to a 13 pt lead, but Waitak came back and the game was square. The Blues got the ball into the forward line but the siren went ensuring a tied game.
Best
Neb - Welcome back to footy. Looked silky all day
Badge - The tackle machine was on fire all day
Jar - managed to plonk himself in the right spot and got lots of rebound footy
DCT - Relished his move up the ground. Was a threat all day
Div B - Fantastic win from the youngsters
The Uni B's had a great day out on Sunday comfortably defeating Pakuranga.
We kicked against the stiff typhoon in the first qtr. Dave M started his tap out dominance very early on while Cory the Bearcat and Hayden Rhodes in the middle and Josh Boyle was getting heaps of footy. While we did manage to score a behind, Pakuranga were able to score a couple of goals from on-loan half forward Nips.
We kicked with the wind in the second, and we absolutely dominated. Baby Hugh was getting the ball to ground at every contest, while Dan "Chooka" McCarthy and Jared "Sticks" Martinovich started to get into it and Steph Tabouleh was dominating as well. Goals came from everywhere..Steph got one. T. Body got a couple including a Chris Mundell-esque gather and turn on a wide arc to snag one from 50. We were up by 3 goals.
In the third we started to dominate agsinst the wind and managed to snag one at the other end of the ground which was proving to be a rarity. Ben G, Jono S and Jon R were stopping anything from going near the goals.
Up by 5 at the last change and with the sting out of the game, we relaxed a little. We still managed to snag a couple including a cheeky snap from Chooka who then displayed the greatest shit-eating grin you;ve ever seen! We ran out 56 pt winners.
Best
Ben G - Finished the game without tearing something. Gets in this list in first place!
Cory/Bearcat - Got heaps of footy. Looks good for a 2nd gamer.
Hayden - Another with leather poisoning
Hugh - They just can't get around this guy..at one point beat 3 guys on his own
Dave M - Owned the ruck and got lots of touches all over the ground. Great ruck effort
Round 7 - Uni A belted by Mt Roskill, Uni B draw with Rewa
University Div A lost to Mt Roshill, 14 - 15 - 99 v 3 - 3 - 21
University Div B drew Manurewa, 3 - 3 - 21 v 3 - 3 - 21
Div A - Blues destroyed by Saints, lose more players to injury
In what was probably the worst Uni Blues performance in 10 years, the Blues were demolished by 78 points by Mt Roskill.
The most dissapointing part was the uttter capitulation in the final qtr where the Saints banged through 6 goals without the Blues raising a yelp.
We were not helped by injuries with B&F candidate Jordy Drinkall doing a knee in the first 5 minutes and T. Body rolling an ankle after 10. Then we lost Bonce to a groin injury in the 3rd qtr.
A very dissapointing day for the Blues.
Div B - Draw with Rewa
In a hastily convened 13-a-side match played undetr very hot conditions, the Uni B's managed to salvage a draw. Harrison Manks was outstanding as Bieber Wallis and Baby Hugh Martinovich had a great game. Big Dave M ran his guts out all game as well.
Round 6 - Uni A give up big lead, Uni B lose to Pakuranga
Uni A gave up a 4 goal lead to lose to Waitakere by 4 points, while Uni B lost to Pakuranga by 5 points
Round 5 - Uni A belt North Shore AFL, Uni B edge past North Shore Rugby
University Div A def North Shore, 17 - 21 - 123 v 3 - 2 - 20
University Div B def Barbarians, 5 - 6 - 36 v 2 - 3 - 15
Div A - Blues demolish Tigers, margain could have been much greater
A highy polished Uni Blues outfit demolished a weak Tigers side by 103 points at Onepoto Domain.
Reduced to 15 a side, The Blues shot out of the blocks pumping the ball into forward 50 numerous times right from the outset with Spoons, signalling a danger to North Shore of what was to come, taking some big marks up forward. Jords was relishing his role in the midfield picking up numerous touches, while Mono was clearing out of the centre circle with ease. When the ball went back Poppy, Bonse and Peacky were working very effectively, linking up well to make sure we hit targets out of defence. Only innacurate kicking spoiled an almost perfect qtr where we kicked 4-8.
The second qtr started like the first. Spoons conituned wreaking havoc while Bully was playing as a perfect forward pocket and snagging some majors. Morts continued working hard across half forward while the midfield boys dominated. MG took plenty of grabs in the qtr to stop any forward momentum for the Tigers.
The domination continued in the 3rd qtr with the ball rarely venturing in the UNi defensive half. Jords and Mono continued racking up possessions at will, while Spoons mark count reached double digits.
The Uni boys finished strongly in the last qtr. The last qtr highlight was Jar's left foot snap which stayed in the field of play and miraculously went through for goal. The intensity dropped away a little in the last 5 mins and North Shore managed a late consolation, but the boys were home.
Some fantastic performances especially up front where Spoons snagged 6 (won't mention the behinds though!) and took at least 15 marks and Bully kicked 5. Jords and Mono racked up at least 50 touches between them. MG was really solid at CHB, Morts wotrked well across half forward and Poopy and Bonse were excellent across half back.
Div B - Blues beat Baa-Baas in AAFL version of T20 cricket
Uni B turned up to Onepoto Domain unsure whether the Baa-Baas actually existed and after a delayed start of some 45 minutes, we managed to get a 14 a side game going. 10 min qtrs were what was on offer. We were pleased to welcome back Matty T and Deacon back to the Uni fold after being completely lazy and not coming prior.
It was a stop start affair due to short qtrs and numerous position changes. In the end, the result was comfortable and it was good to see the young boys who are still new starting to adapt to the game.
Although I mentioned young boys, one of the veterans showed the young blokes all about toughness at the footy. Pidg was outstanding throwing himself into every contest. Ben Rainger shopwed some really good stuff domianting in the midfield while Reags played really well on the wing. Thanks to Nips, Jono, Knackers and Josh who each took a qtr in playing for the Baa-baas to make the numbers even.
AFL Grand Final Day @ Empire Tavern
The Uni Blues big AFL Grand Final is on again the Empire tavern in their Garden Bar. Coverage starts at 3:30pm and the game starts at 4:30pm.
Come down and have a great day with the Uni Blues boys.
Round 4 - First defeat for Div A, Uni B keep rolling on
University Div A lost to Mt Roskill, 4 - 6 - 30 v 6 - 7 - 43
University Div B def Manurewa, 6 - 12 - 48 v 5 - 9 - 39
Div A - Lack of intensity seals first defeat
A very flat Uni team tasted their first defeat of the season going down to Mt Roskill by 13 points.
After a very positive start from the boys with some great defensive work from Poopy Williams and some great link up play from Jords Cotchin, the intensity fell away against a very spirited Saints side.
We were behind at every change and we were never able to match Mt Roskill in any facet of the game. The Saints boys were first to most contests and had numbers around the ball when it spilled out, so they were able to take it away up field with relative ease.
When we did manage to get possession, poor kicking skills to our forwards saw the ball turned over for too many times and we were never able to generate any momentum.
Best - Popstar was very solid at half back, Ando/Ginsu had a great game at half back, Caprain P3nis was inspirational in the ruck, Morts worked hard across half forward, and a great game from club legend Damo in his first game in his 2012 guest stint.
Div B - A great fightback from the ressies boys
The Uni B boys kept up their momentum with a hard fought 9 pt win against a determined Rewa side. Poor kicking for goal made the contest a little closer than anyone would have liked even though we dominated periods of the game.
We started well, however, it wasn't until the second qtr when we got our first goal after racking up 7 behinds to start with. Nips was opn the end of the good lead up work and snapped truly (even though he should of looked for a handball! No U turns Nips).
Rewa came out and dominated the 3rd qtr; however, we were able to stay in touch with goals from Ando who'd moved up to full-forward. We were on the back foot for much of the qtr and we need a big last qtr.
We started well enough in the last getting back into the game, however, we let Rewa get back into it and they hit the front with a few minutes to go. But the Uni boys dug deep, and won the centre clearance and got it into Ando who slotted another and we were back in front and we kicked another to win by 9 pts.
A big thanks to our ring-ins who helped us on a day when we were decimated by unavailability. So cheers to Jeremy "Lebo v2" Burton, Tom "Daydream" Lawson and Sam "Ginsu" Anderson.
Best - Big Hugh Martinovich was fantastic at CHB, Alex Mc did another great job in thebackline, Nips was very solid across half forward. Lebo V2 was great in the middle and Ando was very efficient helping himself to 3 big ones.
Round 3 - Two from Two for the mighty Blues
University Div A def Waitakere, 11 - 8 - 74 v 3 -7 - 25
University Div B def Pakuranga, 10 - 9 - 69 v 8 - 8 - 56
Div A - Dominant second half proves catalyst for big win
A fantastic 2nd half display from the University boys despite a mounting injury toll, saw the Uni Blues run out comfortable 49 pt winners at Colin Maiden Park.
As is usual at the beginning of the AAFL season, both teams struggled for numbers and were only able to field 15 a side.
University was able to welcome back Chris "Captain P3nis" Haden and he slotted into the ruck in the absence of MG and the return of Thomas Taunga-something-or-other in the forward lne. Another notable inclusion was on the half forward line where Shane "Bully" Warne had his first game for the Uni Blues. Spoons also shook off his Rd 1 knock and took his place at FF.
And it was the overweight leg-spinner who took an immediate hold on the game and smashed through the first two goals of the game to give the Blues a quick lead. Waitak were the next to bounce back and slot a major and Uni went into the 1/4 time huddle a goal to the good.
Another quick start to the 2nd qtr saw Liz's other half again dominate the half forward line. Spoons started dragging some some classics and Carl Monaghan Jnr started to get into the game with some damaging runs from midfield. Jords Jr was picking up kicks at will and it was all starting to look fantastic until two injuries forced the Uni defensive spine off the ground. Poopy went down with a shoulder which magically transformed to a sore knee and Michael "Red Banger" Crutchly went off with an apparent case of "just being too god damn good looking". Defensive re-enforcement came from the BBQ area where Parko came on for Poppy and started to dominate the backline and T. Body came on for Big Red. Uni applied for a points increase from the umpire due to our good looking factor going down but was denied. Uni jumped out to a 3 goal lead but complacency crept in as Waitak dominated ther remaining part of the qtr and were unluckcy to still be behind. Uni by 7 at 1/2 time.
Coach Eddie Betts implored the boys to not worry about injuries and play some Uni footy and under some massive pressure from Waitak who were kicking with what could only be described as a Force 7 cyclone, they were able to repel the forward invasions. Bonce, Peachy, Jords, Parko and T.Body were unbelieveably strong in the back line pumping the ball back from whence it came. It was like watching an episode of Gladiators complete with tight shorts and rippling man muscles. We grabbed a couple of goals and were up by 11 going into the final change.
Waitak sensed they were a chance, but the boys snuffed out any Waitak threat by slamming through 6 unaswered goals for the qtr. Tonga finally decided to so something and took some big marks. Spoons flew through the air like a Russian ballet dancer and the midfield of H. Badger, Mono, Wig and Jords Jr ensured the ball never went into the Waitak forward line. It was so quiet down there, that at one point T. Body, Bonce, Jords and Peach had a game of charades. 2 syllables.....brilliant!
Uni win by 49 points.
Goals: Yes
Best: Some players
Div B - Guts and determination see Reserves secure win
A great overall performance from the ressies saw them defeat a gallant Pakuranga side by 13 points at Colin Maiden Park.
With 14 a side, it was always going to be a tense affair. The Uni boys ran out with an average age of 19, only raised by the older crew of T. Body and Howard "Nipper" Gilbert who is still the only AAFL player to still be playing who was also playing in the 1910 Auckland AFA season.
Uni was reeling from the injury enforced omission of Hamish "Knackers" Boyle who has still yet to find that 2nd testicle. What a warrior! If you do find it, can you please hand it in to your local police station.
Uni jumped out of the blocks and coverted from their first couple of entries into the forward 50. Ben "nickname required" Rainger absolutely dominated from CHF taking some big marks against some bigger boys. Hamish "Curly or the only Boyle with 2 testicles" Boyle was creating havoc on the wing. However, forward domination most be matched with defensive pressure and we were guilty of not tracking back on our opponents when we lost the footy and Pak were able to stroll in kick a couple of their own. Only for the domination down back of Alex "Given a shit nickname by a mate" McGregor ensured we went in to the break in front.
Again we statred brightly in the 2nd. Billy "Human Wrecking Ball" Bedford was just smashing Pak guys (legally, of course) and giving us alot of use of the ball. Steph Tabouleh was also starting to get into it and we increased our lead. Tiredness may have been a factor but again we let Pak into it and we went into half time 1 pt in front.
The coaches implored the boys to put the body on the line and again we raced out a handy lead. Nipper was presenting well, Ben was again jagging some big marks and Jono was solid down back. T. Body slotted what could be a contender for Makita Power Drill Goal of the Day with a stunning mark and running goal. Ben G went off with a hammy which made Uni reshuffle their side and perhaps that was the reason why Pak sneaked back into it. 7 pts at 3/4 time.
The boys needed to lift and it was the younger boys who got stuck in. Billy was racking up possessions like Mono racks up mini suasage rolls at a party. Steph picked up his running, Josh "2 balls" came back into it and Ben Rainger again marked and goaled. This time there was no give up by the incredibly tired boys who ran out 13 pt winners.
Goals: Most likely
Best: Team Effort - complete cop out!
Round 2 - Uni reserves fall to Mt Roskill
NB: The University Seniors had a bye this weekend.