Sydney Subbies 2025

[CrashBandicoot2]

I dont understand the Div 4-6 Grand Final set ups.

Home field Advantage for Wakehurst and Valley, although Savers have to travel to Merrylands?

I understand clubs need to nominate to host, but this seems strange,

Also - If you watch the Div 2-3 finals, you need to pay to get in? Although for 4 -6 - No payments?

 

[TightMeatHead93]

It was quite conniving to beat them three times when the third game Knox forfeited…

Yeah, a tough game for the Knox old boys colts on Saturday against Beecroft. It was a real nail biter until the bell

 

[Odyssey_Park the 2nd]

Surely Hunters would have the space to host some divisions grand finals and it’s fairly local as well to everyone. Plus they’ve got a big shiny new club house.
They are of course busy down the road on the same day.
I really think the best option is grouping everyone together like we used to do at Mac Uni

 

[Pfitzy]

I really think the best option is grouping everyone together like we used to do at Mac Uni

It was a real festival atmosphere. Parking sucked tho

I'd love to host at the Field Of Dreams, but at this time of year can't count on rugbaleg to guarantee the booking!

 

[hogieslammer]

Does Subbies still publish the end of year report on yellow/red cards per club?

 

[Odyssey_Park the 2nd]

What if Subbies/NSW rugby were to book these venues for finals as they’d (I hope) have bigger pull with the other associations. Then you group the lower divisions together at a ground that can cope as discussed above.

Tim then sends out an email asking for clubs to assist in running the day. Set up, canteen, bbq etc. (unless a club wants to take it all on). The profit from the day which I assume would be a decent amount if you grouped 3 divisions together. Then the clubs that assisted get a discount on their fees next year. So a club like Newport this year that’s lost a heap of money from wet weather changes could send some guys and reduce there costs in 2026.

It’s not perfect and I’m sure it would involve a lot of set up but it’s an incentive for clubs to help out on finals day.

 

[Odyssey_Park the 2nd]

What do you think means more for UNSW? Winning the club championship or being in 4 out of 5 (should have been 5 but they butchered it)Grand-finals this weekend?
Interesting to see what holds more value, in theory Petersham should go up if there is a spot but if UNSW win 2+ premierships it would be a hard to argue with.

 

[Here To Do]

What do you think means more for UNSW? Winning the club championship or being in 4 out of 5 (should have been 5 but they butchered it)Grand-finals this weekend?
Interesting to see what holds more value, in theory Petersham should go up if there is a spot but if UNSW win 2+ premierships it would be a hard to argue with.

My personal opinion is that Petersham need to win the top 2 games to be considered for promotion at this point.

Yes, Petersham are club champions, but they haven't had the lower grade depth in a competition that was designed to give all but 2 teams the chance at premierships. That, for me, is a missed opportunity. As much as it pains me to say having an affinity for them as neighbours (kinda), Petersham have been the top club this season in many ways, but UNSW have been right on their tail when behind them AND miles ahead of them in 3s and 4s.

UNSW are the team I believe should go up assuming they don't s*** the bed on Saturday. Look at their performance top to bottom - EVERY grade made finals and only 1 grade (ironically, their lowest) missed the Grand Final. If you want to look at a club that will be competitive in Div One, where you'll need to field an extra side, you have to look at a team with 5 already strong teams ready to go.

The only thing that will hurt them on Saturday is that they have to field 60 fresh players in consecutive games - are they going to have any fresh reserves that wouldn't be starting in a lower grade? It's an odd situation for sure, but that comes down to Club Championships points multipliers rather than any perceived gulf in performance.

 

[hogieslammer]

My personal opinion is that Petersham need to win the top 2 games to be considered for promotion at this point.

Yes, Petersham are club champions, but they haven't had the lower grade depth in a competition that was designed to give all but 2 teams the chance at premierships. That, for me, is a missed opportunity. As much as it pains me to say having an affinity for them as neighbours (kinda), Petersham have been the top club this season in many ways, but UNSW have been right on their tail when behind them AND miles ahead of them in 3s and 4s.

UNSW are the team I believe should go up assuming they don't s*** the bed on Saturday. Look at their performance top to bottom - EVERY grade made finals and only 1 grade (ironically, their lowest) missed the Grand Final. If you want to look at a club that will be competitive in Div One, where you'll need to field an extra side, you have to look at a team with 5 already strong teams ready to go.

The only thing that will hurt them on Saturday is that they have to field 60 fresh players in consecutive games - are they going to have any fresh reserves that wouldn't be starting in a lower grade? It's an odd situation for sure, but that comes down to Club Championships points multipliers rather than any perceived gulf in performance.

It poses a strong question about promotion, what matters more: club championship points or overall season and depth performance.

CC favours clubs who have higher performances further up which can make up for issues in grades further down.

 

[Here To Do]

It poses a strong question about promotion, what matters more: club championship points or overall season and depth performance.

CC favours clubs who have higher performances further up which can make up for issues in grades further down.

I guess it's a matter of the classic superannuation disclaimer: "past performance is not a reliable indicator of future success"

There's every chance that, if Petersham go up, they get a massive influx of players who provide the rising tide that raises all ships. Conversely, you could say the same for UNSW, or the opposite for either.

There's every chance that UNSW's depth evaporates over night - no contracts, no guarantees.

With all that said, if we take a look at raw numbers, based on final placings (including Semis results):

Club	1s	2s	Colts	3s	4s
Petersham	1/2	1/2	3	5	6
UNSW	1/2	1/2	1/2	1/2	3

Can anyone tell me how, excluding the obvious BPs and CC multipliers, anyone could argue that Petersham had a better year overall than UNSW?

 

[footy_footy]

The double points factor skews the Club Championship a bit this year too but in saying that UNSW had the benefit of not travelling to Camperdown in 2025 and playing for double points at home, which they lost.

Either way, both clubs have had a good year in their own right. Neither have really matched Newport or Lindfield of recent seasons in terms of overall dominance which needs to be borne in mind when considering what's next.

 

[Odyssey_Park the 2nd]

There's every chance that UNSW's depth evaporates over night - no contracts, no guarantees.

This unfortunately is the issue with the promotion relegation system. The assumption is you will continue to grow and be able to compete at a higher level. But players often use success as a reason to pull the pin.

UNSW have been one of the top sides for the last 5-10 years in Divi 2 and a number of that group have been chasing premierships that haven’t eventuated and this may be the culmination for a number of there players who choose to walk away if they get over the line on Saturday.

UNSW has definitely been the form club this year and previous years (no shade on Petersham). If they get promoted next year and don’t hold there own in Div 1, the question has to be asked who can make that jump and what does it mean for Div 1?