Sydney Uni have claimed their 33rd Shute Shield title with a 26-19 win over Gordon at Leichhardt Oval.In classic Shute Shield fashion, the game came down to the wire as both teams exchanged leads throughout the game.Watch every minute of Shute Shield Grand Final on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial NowThe Students’ dominant forward pack proved the difference maker, overcoming a 11-7 half-time deficit as replacement prop Mitch Ryan scored the winner in the 76th minute.“I’m stoked with that. Full credit to the Gordon boys, they didn’t stop coming at us until the very last scrum but I’m super proud of the lads,” Uni skipper Jack McCalman said after the match.“It’s a great feeling…People say Uni don’t have a culture but we have one of training really hard, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been here one year or ten, you come in and train hard and you put the work on and reap the reward in September.“That’s what makes this club special, new groups come in, work equally as hard and the result stays the same.”Gordon opened the scoring via the boot of Reece McDonald as both sides tries to navigate their way through the tricky conditions.Sydney Uni looked the more damaging side in the first 30 minutes as winger Angus Bell put Eddie Poolman into space.The Students' ascendancy at scrum time eventually saw Tristan Fuli yellow carded in the 24th minute, opening the game up.Two minutes later, Force recruit Henry Robertson found Ben Hughes under the posts for the first try.Needing a response with a large gale at their back, Harrison Goddard gave Waratahs fans a taste of what to expect in 2023, flipping momentum with a 50-22.From the resulting line out, some lovely hands found Ben Pollock unmarked in the corner to give the defending premiers the 11-7 lead at the break.Sydney Uni asserted their dominance after the break as their forwards took over the contest.Loosehead prop Charlie Hancock barged through the defence, muscling out of multiple tackles to power over the line before captain Jack McCalman followed him over to give them a commanding lead.Gordon flyer Pollock stepped up for his second, raising away after some expansive play from the Highlanders inside their half.McDonald tried to level it up with ten to go but hits the right upright, with Jack McGregor making amends minutes later to tie it up.In the end, the strike-power of Uni’s forward pack proved too tough to handle as replacement Ryan proved hero, stretching out from half a metre to claim the title.Sydney Uni 26 (Hughes, Hancock, McCalman, Ryan; Hughes 3 con) def Gordon 19 (Pollock 2; MacDonald 2 pens, McGregor pen)Click Here:
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