​At Horspath Athletics Ground earlier this year, the Oxford Aussie Rules football club took on Cambridge in their annual Varsity match. It was a big day- the 100th consecutive Varsity Match for the Men’s side (the longest running league outside of Australia!) and the 3rd Women’s Varsity match.
 
The Oxford women’s team were the clear underdogs going into the match- we hadn’t won a game against Cambridge this season, and Cambridge were the champion of the multination Fitzpatrick Cup held earlier in the season. However, we had a solid few weeks of training consolidating some key skills (and a few video messages of encouragement from AFL-W superstars in Australia), and with the help of our coach Ben, we were feeling strong and ready to give them a run for their money!
 
We managed to maintain a lead throughout the entire game, and come away with a convincing win: 51 to 20. Romy and Ellie were key in the defensive line, and Connie and Abbie were unstoppable- kicking goal after goal! It truly was a team effort however, and despite Cambridge coming back in the final quarter, we maintained the intensity until the final whistle. This was the first time the Oxford Women’s side had won a Varsity match, and it was great to do so in front of our supporters!
 
Aussie rules welcome’s people with no experience, being Australian is certainly not a pre-requisite and we have a lovely welcoming community, with a relaxed training and game schedule. If you are interested in playing next season (whatever that may look like) or want some more information, please reach out! 

​Saturday the 14th of March marked the culmination of the season for our boys in the annual Varsity match against Cambridge at Horspath Athletics Ground in Oxford. There was even more to play for this year with this being the 100th Varsity between the two clubs, in what is the oldest Aussie Rules rivalry outside of Australia.

Earlier in the season Cambridge took the honours in both NUL games; however a win against them at the Fitzpatrick Cup in February gave us plenty of confidence heading into the game. We were also fired up by the amazing win from our women in the earlier game, a feat which we hoped to repeat shortly afterwards.

In typical Varsity fashion the game was hotly contested from the outset, with the intensity and competitiveness definitely a step up from earlier games in the season. To Cambridge’s credit they certainly brought the heat and shot out of the blocks with the first 6 goals of the match. This early flurry would ultimately be the difference despite a much more even display in the following three quarters.

The final result for us unfortunately read Cambridge 13.8 (86) def. Oxford 8.13 (61). On reflection of the score line our fortunes may have been more favourable had we converted our opportunities however full credit to Cambridge on a well-deserved win. Both clubs left any ill will on the field and joined together for a few beers in the clubhouse which is what it’s all about!  

Finally, huge thanks go to the committee for putting on a successful day and for all the efforts throughout the year. We look forward to Varsity redemption in 2021 and to hopefully starting our 2020-21 season in the coming months. Despite the current uncertainty surrounding sports and everyday life we are very keen to get back to footy as soon as possible and welcome anyone who wishes to come down for a kick!

Round 1 for the National University League was hosted by Oxford. Match reports are provided by the men's captain, Cam Sharp and the women's captain, Beth Hamilton.

Oxford Vs Cambridge Men

Our Oxford men got their NUL campaign off to a tough start against a strong Cambridge side, going down by 21 points in trying conditions. Ultimately a fast start out of the blocks and a big bodied Cambridge side proved too big a task to overcome, however there were plenty of positives to take from the game. 

With a collective 28 players available for round 1, this was the first of two separate 14 man squads to take the field on the day. Included in this first squad were six debutants who all put in a great showing and will certainly benefit from the run under their belt. Accompanying these fresh faces was the experience of our senior players which really shone through in the tough conditions. 

In the end despite not coming away with a win there is plenty of upside for the team going into the rest of the season. 

Oxford Vs South Wales Men

Eagerly awaiting the afternoon game versus South Wales was our second 14 man squad for the day. The fresh legs and a last minute field change saw what should’ve been a boggy affair turn into a more free flowing match, to which our boys ran our 73 point winners. 

Throughout the game there was a clear balance across the field with the defenders, mids and forwards all complimenting each other. This saw some slick ball movement from end to end which was promising to see. Highlights for the game were 4 goals on debut from Dexter Chiew and a commanding first game in defence from Andrew Giltrap. 

Overall our men will take a lot of confidence into the rest of the season with a 1-1 start and giving plenty of players a run.

Oxford Vs Cambridge Women 

Our first game of the season- the first game as a team, and first game ever for a lot of members of the team! Despite our usual game day venue Uni Parks being closed due to flooding, thanks to the magic of club secretary and vice-captain Romy, the day proceeded at Horspath athletics track.

Although Cambridge proved too good a team on this occasion, we kept our heads up throughout the game, the chat and support was constant, and there was a dramatic improvement between the first twenty minutes of play and the second half, as we became more familiar with the rules and playing with each other.

A shout out to our defensive side who turned over countless balls and to Esther, who after a solid half of running between mid and forward, sustained an injury which unfortunately counted her out of game 2 (she has recovered well!). Special mention to the following players for their first ever game of AFL: Fig, Veronica, Alice and Linda!

Oxford Vs South Wales Women

After a mere 20 minutes of rest (and 1 x hobble to the bar and back from Beth), we started “warm”-up for match two against Wales. After a tactics talk from Mitch regarding ruck set up, and ongoing positivity from everyone involved, we took to the field in high spirits. The improvement from game one was evident- we matched up woman on woman, moved the ball into space and down the field more effectively and continued the encouragement and chat up throughout the game.

Fig scored a first early goal, outrunning the defence, met by furious cheers from the side-line. Another (almost) goal from Emilie, who also did an excellent job being ruck throughout both games despite a hand and hip injury. Katie was impressive in her perseverance throughout this game despite a couple of notable run-in’s with the opposition.

Although Wales won convincingly, but we were happy with the improvements from game one, and have lots to take away as learning points for future training and games.

On a sunny day in late March, Oxford and Cambridge faced off in the 97th Varsity match at St John’s College Playing Fields, Cambridge. Oxford had narrowly won the 96th, though in the 95th Cambridge pulled off a major upset at the same ground, leaving everything to play for under the spring sun - Cambridge were looking for two home victories in a row, Oxford for the chance to reassert the dominance of recent years.

Oxford started well. Solid ruckwork from Jack 'Inspector' Valmadre and strong body positioning from Prof Matt McGilvray provided Oxford with more than their fair share of the footy. Phill ‘Hammer’ Hamer and James ‘MD’ Kennedy went searching for targets in the forward line, and were not disappointed, but it took a while for this dominance to be reflected on the scoreboard. Usual suspect Dylan Wise opened the scoring with a solid mark and goal from out in front. Lightning struck twice for Dylan, and a few minutes later he sent through his second.

Play went back and forward for the rest of the first half, as both sides tried to find their rhythm. Oxford possessions seemed to be much cleaner as accurate passing and reliable marking allowed us easy yards up the field. By contrast, Cambridge struggled to get clean possession in dangerous areas and were always made to work hard for their ground. The Oxford defence, packed with experience, was able to clear up the more speculative punts forward. Nathan 'Jesus' Grindal made Cambridge think twice about going near the ball, while Ollie Bartlett and Genie 'Fist' Duff cleared up scraps and were able to recycle the ball to the targets waiting further up the field.

This paid dividends as Bartlett found club stalwart Grey Johnston, who in turn picked out Seb 'Flounder' Wylie, who led strongly in the forward line all day. With the title of “Best Forward in the Osney Thermofluids Lab” up for grabs, Dylan and Flounder got the goal kicking rivalry underway, making Cambridge suffer on the scoreboard in the process. Flounder walked back and got his first, followed by his second from the pocket.

Cambridge struck back just before the end of the quarter and bagged a fine goal from 40m out to leave the scoreboard reading: Oxford 25 - Cambridge 6.

The message at quarter time from Coach Riggas (narrowly pipped by Simon Goodwin as Melbourne Coach for 2017) was simple: keep going hard and keep scoring goals. This was the quarter in which to break the Cambridge spirits and establish a stranglehold on the match.

Dylan kept the scoreboard ticking over with another goal, his leads proving to be too elusive for his Cambridge defender. Louis Jamart added French flair to the wing, playing in front of his dad, arguably the sharpest dressed man in Cambridge that afternoon (sorry Hugo). Rob Cornish didn’t give away any easy ground or ball in the backline after coming on in leaps and bounds this past year. Ben Young got on top of his opposite man in defence and ran hard all day, seemingly never tiring. At the other end, Josh McGeechan was also tackling hard and applying good pressure to prevent Cambridge from getting the ball out easily. Ewan Selkirk was too quick to tackle (and too short - getting his customary free kick for a high tackle), and almost had himself a long range goal.

Jesus, anything but meek and mild, was causing carnage at the back. Oliver Bartlett came off after a collision between the pair, allowing Dustin Stuart to enter the fray, running round the backline like a bull in a china shop. Not content with stopping there, Jesus then flew into a tackle with the Cambridge full forward, but was unfortunate to have it called high, late and off the ball. Sometimes the decisions don't go your way, and Cambridge put it through for a major. Still, it was a long time before the Cambridge forward line went anywhere near him.

At the other end, captain fantastic, Dan Tracey was busy creating opportunities for himself and those around him, bagging a behind and putting ex-captain and Varsity specialist Dave Llewellyn into space for another Oxford goal.

Cambridge struck back with a behind and a goal created by their elusively quick number 16 in the midfield. The tabs, with many GAA players as ever, used quick handballs and ran the footy to create space. This match wasn't going to be a walk in the park, despite how it may seem from this (admittedly slightly biased) account.

Toby Lees, playing in his first Varsity (and possibly last, unless we get permission from the Pope for him to return next year) picked up a mark in the forward line from another Hamer bullet, but pushed it slightly wide for a behind. At the halftime orange break, Oxford led 6.2.38 - 3.1.19.

Cambridge came out fighting in the third quarter, playing rough in an attempt to provoke a reaction from Oxford. A notably bizarre incident involved Ell Neame being taken hostage in a headlock. Matt McGilvray saw his opportunity to break his "jersey-punch duck", and made his outrage known.

James Kennedy fired back with a monster goal that had the crowd discussing whether 9 point super goals should be introduced to the Varsity derby. It was helped on its way by some selfless shepherding from Flounder, Ben 'Pigeon' Hunn, and Dan (and a Cambridge defender who chose to go for the Oxford forwards rather than stop the bouncing ball from rolling through). Had Pigeon known what would happen in the next quarter, he probably would have poked it through himself.

As Cambridge tired, Elliot Neame started to use his pace to break out of contests and into free space. He belted one home from 30 meters and wheeled round to celebrate, unfortunately without realising that it had drifted wide at the last moment. Fortunately for Ell, he got his chance only moments later from the same spot, and his next one was even greater (described by Jess 'wish I'd remembered suncream' Testro, as ‘Dangerfield-esque’).

Hugo 'Big Cat' Batten couldn't hold onto on the next bomb in the forward line, but regathered and charged through a weak Cambridge tackle to kick a goal from 30m out. The Cambridge shenanigans earlier in the quarter had failed to significantly alter the flow of the game, and now Tab morale was starting to take damage. Almost as much damage was done to Hugo Batten's cherished social media presence, as alumni Stranks and Nicholls, bored with proceedings and armed with an old password for the OUARFC Twitter account, amused themselves with a classic character assassination.

At the end of the quarter, the Big Cat online brand was in tatters, and Oxford were up 9.5.59 - 3.2.20, with one hand on the trophy.

Oxford started the 4th quarter in high spirits, and uncontested possessions allowed them to move the ball around the ground as they pleased (including an unorthodox kick from Flounder, not into the forward line but backwards to JK in midfield, Barcelona-esque). Mitch Robertson did admirably, playing simultaneously in the forward and backlines after a whiteboard malfunction, but, as with everything, took it calmly in his stride. Meanwhile, the Oxford bench were kept busy, all the substitutes got a run around, Brad Jordan particularly showing his ultra-marathon stamina as he kept running and running til his Cambridge opposite couldn’t keep up.

Flounder and Grey had rotated excellently all day, and Flounder Wylie grabbed his 3rd of the day with a howitzer from the centre square to spark pandemonium in the crowds.

Meanwhile in the back line, there wasn't much going on (apart from Jesus finishing what he had started and re-injuring Bartlett as they both went up to contest the ball). Genie 'Fist' Duff saw his opportunity to sneak further up the ground, and Geoff Pascoe, sensing history in the making, provided him with a well weighted pass. Genie resisted the urge to punch it away as far as possible and took the mark. The crowd went wild as Genie went back and slotted the goal, and other defenders started to ask the question - "How hard can slotting goals be?". Well, after more goals from Dylan and a Tab, we had the opportunity to find out. Step forward Ben Hunn.

Pidge has been a stalwart of the Oxford backline for a number of years, but sadly the opportunity never really arrived for him at the other end. As a defender who has never contributed much in front of goal either, I don't want to be too harsh on Pidge. Let's just say that after a neat mark, his effort at goal neither went very far, nor very straight. He turned sheepishly to the bench to find Seb Wylie grinning from ear to ear.

The game ended with more forays into Cambridge territory, but Oxford were unable to add any more goals. At the final whistle there were wild celebrations, a ropey rendition of The Old Dark Navy Blues and beers all round. Oxford had won the 96th Varsity 12.8.80 - 4.4.28. A big thanks to the umpires and Cambridge, who put on an excellent function at the Athletics club after the game. Josh Combs excelled himself in the traditional post match boat race, seeing off the first and last pints with a terrifying efficiency.

There were a number of factors that led to Oxford's victory, from the ruck dominance of Jack, the goal threat posed by Dylan and Seb, the uncompromising defence of Genie and Jesus. But ultimately the victory can be attributed to the depth of talent within the Oxford team, and the improvement throughout the year of all players. The likes of Matt McGilvray, James Kennedy, Phil Hamer, Grey Johnston and the other Oxford men racked up significant possessions, and were able to deliver well into the forward line. Cambridge looked brightest when individual players had moments of brilliance. Oxford put in a true team performance, and were at no stage over-reliant on individual players and moments (though there were many). Oxford played their most complete match for a long time, and with key players sticking around next year, the future is bright for OUARFC.

Score: Oxford GAA Lots - OUARFC Not many

Saturday November 19th saw the annual OUARFC foray into the world of mystery and unknown. I'm not talking about Footy trip, but the baffling and strange sport of International Rules, a hybrid between AFL and Gaelic Football. Having arrived too late for the explanation of the rules from Tommy ‘Turncoat’ Griffin, I assumed everything would be the same, just with a different ball. Needless to say, I was gravely mistaken, and a ball that bounced predictably turned out to be far more challenging than it sounded.

From the first bounce, it was clear that the Irish familiarity with the Gaelic ball was matched only by their determination to win. With territory and possession in their favour, the Irish launched wave after wave of attack at our goals. The defence of Ollie B, Mitch H and Ben Y battled on against their Irish opposites, who were all seemingly called Conor. The slight consolation was that their front line were still finding the radar, and the score could have been much worse than it was. Regardless, we went into the quarter-time break with a lot to change. Possession was deemed key, too much ball was kicked blindly out of defence and returned with a vengeance. Running the ball was the way forward, 'tiki-taka' hand passes encouraged, DanTracey led from the front.

The second quarter started better and showed glimpses of what was possible for OUARFC, though I'd be lying if I said the Irish weren't building a healthy lead. But not at the rate they had been before, as Australian hand-passes were strung together, and possession partly denied from the Irish. However, old habits die hard, and OUARFC were still found guilty of putting the ball on the hoof and hoping for the best. One particular highlight was made by Louis ‘Two Votes’ Jamart, who dropped from half forward back into midfield, running hard and breaking tackles. There he was joined by Brad and Ben Scholl, making his debut with some great touches in midfield and the towering 'Inspector' Valmadre, showing his usefulness around the park in a game which was short on his usual diet of ruck taps. The girls held their own against their Irish counterparts, Gen, Emma M and Alexis all played admirably, Alexis in particular made some great tackles (including on Gen in the warm up!).

By the third quarter we were starting to get the hang of it slightly more. ‘Pidge’ Hunn took over the refereeing, allowing Tommy ‘Turncoat’ Griffin time to run in the forward line. Wrong forward line though. Tireless running from Josh, Ewen and Dylan, summer signings for OUARFC, helped counter Irish numbers around the ball. Toby played his strongest match so far for OUARFC, winning taps and tackling hard. The play even found itself in the Irish half, and the ignominy of getting 'nilled' was finally avoided with a wildly celebrated point. Wild applause echoed around the ground, none louder than from Jess ’No 1 fan’ Testro, who was sadly unable to play after a disastrous catching incident earlier in the season. This was followed by an absolute belter from Ell who smashed it past the keeper for the full 6 points. Mark, brought along by Mitch and on a quest to play niche sports at Oxford, also grabbed a point. The comeback was on.

By the fourth quarter, OUARFC started to hit their stride. Horspath was once again home to great footy as we applied the hard-learned lessons of the first three quarters.  We even persevered with the round ball, despite calls to bring out a Sherrin. The larger ground at Horspath became an increasingly important factor as the entire team pushed hard and the lungs burned. By the final whistle, we were all pretty knackered, but had enjoyed ourselves greatly, despite the one sided scoreboard.

All in all there was a lot to take away from the match. It was played in great spirits, and helped to cement closer ties between the two clubs. The counter-attacking speed of the game is also something we can bring back to our AFL. And at least the All Blacks won that night, so the score that should really be remembered is Ireland 1-1 Antipodes. In all seriousness, if anyone remembers the actual score, please let me know!

Women's Match
It was another cold and gloomy afternoon, but the Oxford women’s team was not to be deterred by the ominous clouds overhead. With a strong starting line-up for the nine-a-side match, and three players warming up and raring to go on the side line, it was already promising to be an exciting first match of the season against our arch rivals!
 
The first quarter started off quickly with plenty of marks inside the 50 from both Oxford and Birmingham, leading to several goals and behinds for both sides. Helen Baxendale was strong in the ruck with quick taps into the waiting hands of her teammates, as well as providing some great on field coaching. Karwei So took the field halfway into the quarter to make her AFL match debut, adapting with ease from her rugby background, and is sure to be a champion of our beloved sport. Emma McIntosh, back from a long reprieve after our first match in February 2014, took to the pitch with impressive intensity.
 
In the break it was noted that a certain Birmingham player was collecting far too many easy marks, so co-captain Alexis Brown got on the case and put her defensive skills to the test with great effect. Mandy Rojek fed the ball from the midfield through to Steph Filbray for some spectacular goals, cementing the Oxford lead. Co-captain Genevieve Martin had a good run in the ruck, later showing off her versatility dropping back to the defensive line. Helen Ryan likewise did well in defense, while Tasha Jacobs moved up front to test out her burgeoning skills in the forward line.
 
Hanne Mysen joined us in the third quarter, a welcome addition to our already formidable defensive line. Sarah Burns starred in the ruck, transferring her basketball skills to the sport she was clearly born to play! Emma Lawrence also moved deftly from the forward line into defence, as we moved into the third quarter and began to lock in a definitive victory.
 
As we headed into the final quarter, it was apparent that our opponents were beginning to tire. Oxford stayed strong, with some hard tackling by Emilie McDonnell, who has taken to the sport quickly.
 
Final score:
Oxford 11.10.76
Birmingham 7.7.49

Men's Match
Heavy rain greeted us on Saturday morning for our match against our neighbours and consistently strong opponents Birmingham, no doubt making some of the fair weather footballers amongst us reconsider having signed up. Thankfully this eased by the afternoon, and conditions were primed for a good hit-out.

It was tight from the first ball-up, with Birmingham owning the territory early on but unable to convert. Oxford made a quick forward thrust and Jimmy Kennedy bobbed up for his first goal for the Blues. It was a sign of things to come, with the Oxford forward line looking dangerous and efficient whenever the ball came near - Flounder was presenting well and crunching packs, and others were swarming when the footy came to ground. The contest was tough, with Birmingham's gym and fitness sessions paying dividends, but Oxford's experienced campaigners guiding our positioning with their footy smarts. Phill was owning the ground ball in the middle, and Grey the aerial contests. It felt as if Oxford was getting on top going into half time, but thanks to a bevy of Birmingham behinds our lead was only 4 points.

The boys were building and sniffing a win, but Birmingham came out strong in the third quarter, getting clean footy out the back of the pack, and directing it to a big target at full forward. Mitch Hancock, Ollie, and Genie did a huge job marking him and others all day, consistently outsized and (sometimes dubiously) barrelled out of the way, but not giving away any easy ball and often launching counterattacks. Mitch might even be contending for the title 'The Fist'. Birmingham were getting on top, but Oxford put on some teamlifting plays in quick succession. 'Big Cat' Hugo announced himself (arriving for his first match after a few false starts) with a crunching tackle to win a holding the ball free kick, Louis 'Pasteur' got on the scoreboard, and Phill kicked one immediately after, taking the ball clinically straight from the restart in the centre. Still, we went in at 3QT with work to do.

The tussle went up a level in the fourth, with both teams desperate for a win. Jimmy Haw and Josh McGeechan were getting right in the thick of it in the middle laying or taking big tackles. Rob, Hunny, Dylan, and Brad were getting amongst it around the ground. Tommy and Toby were holding on in tight contests down back. Birmingham managed to pull away, and it was looking as if we were running out of time, but at 3 goals down with 3 minutes to play, Oxford put in a last big surge. Quick goals to Flounder and Louis left us down by a few points with a minute left, but the ball ended up down in Birmingham's forward line for the final minute and it wasn't to be. Birmingham 63 defeated Oxford 60.

A solid effort with a lot to be pleased by, but we have room to improve and should be chomping at the bit for our next chance to get a W. Big thanks to: Mitch and Hugo for umpiring (and copping plenty of abuse, including friendly fire!), Josh Combs for managing the bench, Katie for helping on the sidelines, Jess for goal umpiring, and many others who helped out.

​The Oxford girls kicked off the season with strong numbers, despite several injuries (including a broken rib!) and one of the most bitter, cold days of the Oxford autumn so far.
 
The Demons started out strong, scoring a number of goals in the first quarter to take a big early lead. Strong in defence throughout, Ellie Bath managed an impressive smother early on, revealing talent that had gone untapped in her previous career playing hockey. Genevieve Martin kept talk up in the ruck, as usual. Smuggling the ball out of a number of scrums was the agile Emma Lawrance, with several quick passes out to Mandy Rojek who booted the ball down the length of the field. The Demons put on a formidable defensive side and the Oxford women were unable to convert any of these breaks to score.
 
Audibly thrilled at taking a mark out of the wing, Torgie Cox assumed she was safe from being tackled, but the celebration was premature as she was rapidly taken out by a speedy Demon. Alexis ‘the tackler’ Brown was out in full force, pinning players arms before they knew she was close. Moizza Sarwar revealed a dogged intensity for her opponent, boding for excellent things to come in her footy career. Fiona McLoughlin and Emma Coulson, true to form, shook off one Demon after another, putting their experience to good use. Additional defensive pressure in the later parts of the game couldn’t, however, stop the Demons from powering ahead for a clear win.
 
A huge congratulations to the number of girls for whom this was a debut: Mandy Rojek, Brianna Doherty, Emilie McDonnell, Ellie Bath, Freya Shearer, Helen Ryan, Kim Webb, Moizza Sawar, Tasha Jacobs and Torgie Cox.
 
Final scores:
Oxford 0/0/0
Wandsworth Demons 13/15/93
 
Special commendations to team members who despite being unable to play, lent their skills to other aspects of the game: Jess (goal umpire) and Katie Stone (managing the bench / photographer). 

Come join us at 5am on Saturday October 1st to watch the 2016 AFL Grand Final. Full details available at ​https://www.facebook.com/events/544895082364975/