In what many regard as the sport which best epitomises the spirit of University life, Adelaide University has secured a rare double in Ultimate Frisbee - the SA Open Division 1 Championship in both men and women.
South Australia's Autumn Ultimate Frisbee season concluded last Wednesday when Adelaide Uni took out the top prize against Flinders Uni! After going down twice to Flinders during the regular season, Adelaide Uni was looking to put an end to the losses to Flinders that has plagued the club over the years and to get the monkey off its back!
After a nervy start by Adelaide, Flinders took an early lead at 3-1 and some may have started to think that Flinders' dominance would continue. However, Adelaide fought back to level the scores at 4-4. From there, Adelaide's super tight, intense defence and incredibly patient offence allowed it to pull away and score six successive goals to lead 10-4 and effectively seal the win.
Flinders got a couple of late consolation goals but Adelaide fittingly scored the last goal of the season to hand the club an 11-6 victory and its first ever Open Division 1 championship.
Congratulations to the Adelaide University Ultimate Frisbee Club and all the players who represented the team this season: Alex Britten-Jones, Sam Caon, Will Christopherson, Andrew Dabovich, David Greatz, Stephen Harfield, Leigh Killmier, Richard Klein, Tom Lee, Minh Peart-Tang, Tom Roden and Val Zharkin.
Special mentions go to Will for shutting down Flinders' big playmaker, Brett Middleton, and allowing him very little of the disc. Dabbo gets props for his huge presence on the field, ridiculous athleticism, some sweet cutting and being chilly with the disc.
BJ was typically skilful with the disc and I'm sure if Champion Data had been watching the match, his effective disposals would have been near 100%. Sammy, Ricky and Bruce played probably the most patient, solid handling I've seen all season which typified our style of offence throughout the game. Barely a pass went astray.
Stephen also had a tremendous game, cutting Flinders' zone wide open with intelligent popping and taking quick, eye-of-the-needle-threading options with the disc. Minh is always a terrier on the field; it's hard to beat him for pace or enthusiasm. Unfortunately on the night of the final he was under the weather which kept him off the field for a good part of the game. Nonetheless, he's had a terrific season and is always improving.
Thanks also go to Greatzy and to the apprentice, Val, whose confidence with the disc and knowledge of the game is beginning to shine through. And last but certainly not least, I recognise Leigh 'Billy' Killmier who, despite being injured for the last four or five rounds of the season, came out and supported the team through the cold. Looking forward to having him fit and active again.
So, all in all, it was an unprecedented achievement by the club and one that was thoroughly deserved. We’ve toiled for years and come within a whisker of glory several times. Finally we’ll have our name inscribed on the South Australian Flying Disc Association shield! Thanks for everyone’s hard work during the season. I’m looking forward to reminiscing about this moment for a time to come.
I’d also like to congratulate the Adelaide Uni women's team who, last week, also beat Flinders Uni to win the Women’s Division for 2009, their second league win in three years. The women were also challenged strongly by the younger, more inexperienced Flinders outfit. Perhaps it was the weight of expectation on the part of Adelaide Uni that accounted for their rushed, imprecise offence at the beginning of the game. Flinders lead 5-3.
However, after a time out and a few deep breaths, the wisdom and experience of the Adelaide players began to shine through. Post-time out, their offence rediscovered their structure and the handlers worked the disc quicker across the field. In turn this opened up space on the field that previously was not to be found, allowing them to find their rhythm. They then took the game right away from Flinders to claim victory and the championship 10-5. Dual success for Adelaide University this season!
Finally, the Division 2 mixed team concluded their season with an unfortunate loss. North Adelaide surprised us with zone defence, against which we were very inexperienced. The time it took to adjust to their zone cost us a match-winning lead and North Adelaide triumphed with relative ease in the end. However, the team was by far the most inexperienced in the league and developed immensely over the course of the season. As coach, I was very proud of how they acquitted themselves. There are many positives to take out of the league for the up-and-comers.
Tom Roden
President, AUUFC