Revisiting the 2016 Rugby League Grand Final
Article by Alum Kieren Murray (2014–2016)
Donald Trump is in the White House. UK politics is spiralling into a pit of extreme anti-immigrant sentiment. Justin Bieber is back on the top of the charts. And the Harry Potter franchise has announced a return in a new format (to mixed responses). But the year is not 2026. Rather, it is 2016. As a now 30-year-old man reflecting on something from 10 years ago, the abovementioned pop culture references being identical, makes me feels a bit sick.
So, in the face of all that let me take you back to a relatively mild May evening in 2016 where Burgmann College was set to face Johns in yet another rugby league grand final. It had been 20 years since Burgmann last won the competition. It had also been 20 years since Johns had been dethroned.
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The afternoon started with the traditional curtain-raiser. The women’s teams of the Colleges featuring in the grand final would run out for a one-off game. Hair was braided, faces were painted, and some teeth were lost, as the women of Burgmann and Johns showed us all how the game should really be played.
In the men’s game, the initial exchanges were tense, with both teams sharing possession early. Momentum shifted when Johns tried to spread the ball wide in their own half, before getting dragged into touch and thrown into the 200-strong Burgmann crowd. This led to a try from Burgmann’s Henry Delves, who got on the end of a kick to plant the ball down just to the right of the goal posts. Johns responded with a try of their own to bring the scores level. The score was 6-6 going into half-time.
Shortly after the break, Burgmann fullback Fin McDonald looked certain to score before being pulled down just short of the line. McDonald suffered a badly dislocated knee, which led to a lengthy delay while an ambulance made its way to the ground. There was talk that the game may be abandoned due to poor lighting, as no one had thought the teams would still be playing when the sun went down so no lights had been organised with North Oval. But play did eventually resume, and on the very first play after the break, Delves dived over for his second try. The conversion from right next to the sticks put Burgmann ahead 12-6.
Not long after, a perfectly executed left side swing saw Burgmann winger Jimmy Bernasconi cross for what would prove to be the match sealing try. Burgmann was on the back foot for the rest of the game, with Johns peppering Burgmann’s line. But Burgmann held on in the dying light to win the game 16-6.
As tradition stated, the winning team would host the losing team for mixed celebrations and commiserations, putting aside on-field differences and coming together to enjoy the end of the season. The Johns administration breathed a sigh of relief that they would be spared for the year. The fixings of the Burgmann Bar and Common Room didn’t stand a chance.
The 2016 Burgmann RUGBY LEAGUE Team
Andrew Nilon, William Jones, Andrew Cavanagh, Paul Fitzgerald, Oliver Friedmann, Daniel Gorry, Charlie Rozario, Nic Ryan, Will Best, Ben Saxton, Joseph Gibney, Fin McDonald, Hamish Ball, Henry Delves, Angus Forth, James Laidlaw, James Bernasconi, Alex Mathews, Patrick Negline, Mitch Connolly, PJ Beran, Kieren Murray.
