Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

It is my very melancholy obligation—to make good a promise to the member for North Sydney—in informing the House that sadly the Southern Districts Rebels went down 15 to 14 to the might of Sydney University on the weekend. The might, tradition and privilege of the University of Sydney in their eighth straight Shute Shield grand final aiming to take their 47th Sydney club rugby title while enjoying the recruiting privileges of the entire GPS system and offering university scholarships, networking and mentoring courtesy of old boys against the suburban battlers of Southern Districts, from Sylvania Waters, the Rebels who were in their very first grand final relying on locals, organising players' apprenticeships and selling beer to pay their salaries. This was a classic confrontation between two great teams of the rugby competition in Sydney.

It would be unsportsmanlike for me to mention that the Sydney Morning Herald put down the late game try that delivered it to Sydney University to a 'suspect pass, a controversial pass'. But as the coach, Cameron Blades, for the Rebels was in a very sportsmanlike fashion able to point out, this was a great game. It was a gut-wrenching result for the boys from Southern Districts. There were moments in the game where we could have closed it out but it was a good life lesson for these young men. To Sydney University and to the member for North Sydney, I offer my congratulations. Sydney rugby deserves to be supported by those further up the chain in the Wallabies and the franchise owners because club rugby is where the game is played.

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