Sydney Uni American Football Club

The drive to Budgewoi for the Round 2 matchup  took longer than expected.  Whether it was due to the numbers flicking by on the odometer, the stifling heat or the bevy of veteran players out due to unfortunate and non-football related injuries, the Lions had their work cut out for them in their clash against the rival Bondi Raiders.

The boys from Bondi began the day with the ball and showed their intentions early. Barely straying outside the tackles, the Raiders produced a steady dose of short yardage running, leading to big days on the tackle count for the Lions’ Linebacking Crew of Joe Lim (13 tackles), Greg Wernecke (11) and Nicolai Hansen (9). Despite tough resistance, ex-Lions QB Andrew Frawley was able to drive the Raiders offense down the field, soaking up the clock and leaving the dangerous Sydney University offense to watch from the sideline. After trading punts, the Sydney Uni Lions finally got in the swing of things, with QB Kiernan Dorney hitting WR Mike Sander for a long gain down the right sideline. It didn’t take long for RB Liam Erby to finish the drive off in style, punching in the TD from short yardage.

The second quarter featured much of the same from both teams. The Institute’s defense stiffened and shut down the one-trick Bondi offense, forcing the ball back into the offense’s welcome arms. Even with half of the wide receiving corps injured or absent, Dorney was still able to move the chains through the air. Using the special bond developed over the years, Dorney was able to hook up with WR Daniel Kelen, a previous signal caller for the Blue and Gold to the tune of 6 catches on the day. While the heat on the drive claimed a victim in WR Sam Darcy (with his patented “cheeky vomit followed by return to excellence”), the Lions were able to convert their possession into more points on the back of another Erby run. After being gifted great field position following a fumble recovery by big Mick Rigney, the offense went down swinging with an incomplete pass in the endzone on 4^th down to end the half.

The third quarter feature more of the same. The Lions defense faced a tough test on a long drive, but drew a line in the sand under the shadow of their own goalposts. Penetration along the defensive line and sure tackling lead to a huge goal-line stand, ensuring that the Raiders would not score on the day. On the other side of the ball, the Lions offense continued to move the chains, culminating in another rushing TD, Erby’s third of the afternoon, leaving him with 92 yards on 11 carries. Coupled with QB Dorney’s 116 yards on 8 carries and 1 rushing TD, the excellent rushing attack speaks very highly of the Uni Offensive Line, who toughed it out all day against a physical Bondi front seven. As if to punctuate their effect on the game, the offensive line cleared a gaping hole mid-way through the 4^th quarter to allow RB Alex Watson to gallop his way into the endzone from 27 yards out. That TD finished the scoring at 35-0.

Big shoutout to Mac Shine for the match report.

Final Stats:

Rushing

Lions – 22 carries for 224 yards @ 9.3 YPC with 5 TDs

Raiders – 41 carries for 79 yards @ 1.9 YPC with 0 TDs and 2 fumbles.

Passing

Lions – 22 attempts for 12 completions for 148 yards @ 12.3 YPC with 0 TDs

Raiders – 9 attempts for 3 completions for 22 yards @ 7.3 YPC with 0 TDs.

Full statistics can be found on the statistics page, and further photos and video can be found on the multimedia page.