UNSW Sport September Recap

September was a huge month for the UNSW sports community, with standout performances across the board in AFL, hockey, kayak, and handball, alongside strong showings at the UniSport Nationals and Paralympic success. Here’s a recap of some of the key moments from an impressive month.

Sydney Swans defender and UNSW student Dane Rampe reached a significant career milestone, becoming just the 292nd player in AFL history to play 250 games. Rampe is only the 12th Swans player and the second player from Sydney to reach this mark. Alongside fellow UNSW students Hayden McLean, James Rowbottom, Joel Amartey, Braeden Campbell, and captain Callum Mills (who missed the game due to injury), Rampe was a key figure in the Swans' successful season. Although they secured the minor premiership, their campaign ended with a heavy loss to the Brisbane Lions in the grand final over the weekend, going down 120-60.

The UNSW Hockey Club capped off an incredible 2024 season with a haul of premierships across both men’s and women’s competitions. The club won four men’s premierships, including two in the highly competitive Premier League grades, and four women’s premierships. Their success extended beyond individual titles as they also secured the club championships in the Sydney Women’s Metro League competition, the Men’s Premier League 1, 2, and 3, as well as the Men’s Sydney League 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. The club's dominance was highlighted by achieving a clean sweep of minor and major premierships in the Sydney Women’s Eastern District Competition, marking an outstanding year.

UNSW delivered one of its most successful performances at the UniSport Nationals down in Canberra early this month, finishing 4th overall. The team collected five pennants, along with two silver and four bronze medals. The pennant winners were men's badminton, men's fencing, women's judo, lawn bowls, and men's & women's taekwondo. Full recap can be found here.

Paralympians Jamieson Leeson and Taylor Gosens made headlines in September, representing Australia in boccia and judo respectively. Jamieson secured Australia’s first-ever silver medal in boccia, a historic achievement, while Taylor reached the quarterfinals in her Paralympics debut. Full recap can be found here.

To handball, and our men’s team travelled to New Zealand for the New Zealand Club Champs, where they finished 7th overall despite fielding only nine players. The team secured two wins and showed great determination in a challenging tournament, marking a positive step forward for the club as they continue to build their competitive presence.

Mark Crosbee represented Australia at the 2024 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in La Seu D’Urgell, Spain, competing alongside Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox in a star-studded Australian team. Mark delivered a strong performance, finishing 46th overall in the Men’s Kayak event. 

The Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs AFL Division 3 team capped off their season with a thrilling grand final win against Pennant Hills Demons, coming out on top by just five points with a final score of 43-38. It was a nail-biting finish to an incredible season for the Bulldogs, who can now celebrate another successful year for the club.

September highlighted a wide range of successes for UNSW’s athletes and teams. Whether it was reaching personal milestones, competing internationally, or winning local competitions, our sports community delivered strong results across the board. With a solid month behind us, we look forward to see what lies ahead for October.