During the recently held 2005 Australian University Games (AUG), Flinders FURY competed in the Australian Mixed Ultimate Frisbee Championship. Faced with a 5-day tournament in hot and sunny Brisbane conditions, Flinders FURY carried on from their Southern University Games (SUG) gold medal performance with 3 strong wins on the opening day of competition.

Beginning strongly with a 15-4 victory over Uni SA, Flinders FURY went on to win a close and intense encounter over Wollongong University 10-6. Resting from draining heat of Queensland midday sun, the Flinders team prepared for their last game against Bond University. Flinders FURY showed true character battling hard against their opposition and the intense hot sun. Hard running and desperate defence saw Flinders FURY victorious with a 14-4 win.

Drawn with a late start on the second day, Sydney University stood between Flinders FURY and finishing top of Pool D. In a tight first half, Sydney’s women showed why they were the strongest in the tournament with quick give-and-go movement and infallible passing to break through the Flinder’s zone defence. Sydney triumphed in a 13-8 victory with Flinders FURY suffering its first interstate defeat in 11 games.

The highlight of the tournament was definitely a dramatic victory over arch nemesis Melbourne University. The opening point was delayed for over an hour when well known Melbourne University giant, Frank, went down after a strong defensive bid from Flinder’s own giant-killer, Josh. Suffering from a broken femur, both teams were forced to wait as an ambulance was called in. But the carnage from this fiery interstate rivalry continued with Shane from Flinders hospitalized with fractured ribs. Meanwhile, Melbourne opened strongly with a 6-1 lead. Responding to this challenge, Flinders unleashed the FURY taking the next 11 of 12 points to storm home 12-7 winners.

With an increase in the quality of opposition and a very unlucky draw, Flinders narrowly missed advancing to the quarterfinals by percentage. Consequently, the focus shifted towards player development with a strong 13-10 team victory over Ballarat University. With half the team with less then 6 months experience, Flinders FURY competed admirably against stronger teams with years of experience to finish the tournament with 6 wins and four losses.

Whilst playing hard on the field, Flinders Furytes also worked hard off the field with many fun nights spent partying in downtown Brisbane. Breaking hearts on and off the dance floor, the FURY women made sure that they made the most of every opportunity to have fun with the conception of the HEY LADIES brand. But perhaps they were upstaged by the launch of MODELS INC from the FURY men who provided arguably the chant of the tournament.

AUG 2005 capped off what has been a very successful year for the Flinders University Ultimate Frisbee Club (FUUFC). Growing dramatically from a very small playing group to over 30 players attending each practice, FUUFC has enjoyed recruiting success. On the field, success has been rife with FUUFC taking out the South Australian Flying Disc Association (SAFDA) Autumn League Division 1 and Division 2 titles, the SAFDA Winter League Division 1 title and Division 2 Runners Up title and the SUG Mixed Ultimate Frisbee Championship.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the success of our club and we look forward to continuing this trend both on and off the field in 2006. New players are always welcome to come out and have a throw. Practices will continue to be held on Flinders Sports Oval 1 on Wednesday nights from 7pm.