Another year of the fiercely competed Big Blue competitions came to an end with the University of Melbourne taking home the title of the overall champions. The sporting rivalry of Victoria’s two largest Universities, Melbourne and Monash, carries on every year in the form of the Big Blue, with matches from across sporting disciplines spread out across the two semesters. Always a closely fought competition, Melbourne managed to edge out Monash 12-11 this year to make it a hat-trick of overall championships.
The 2024 Big Blue calendar kicked-off with Men’s T20 Cricket on University Oval on 11 March, with Monash drawing first blood. Just a couple of days later, Melbourne pulled things back by winning the Men’s and Women’s Basketball matches on Monash’s home turf, with the Men’s Australian Rules Football team extending the lead to 3-1 later in the month, with an emphatic 163-9 victory.
The action returned in April, with Monash hosting Melbourne for eight events. Both universities ended with four wins each, with Melbourne claiming victories in Women’s Soccer, Women’s Touch, Men’s Hockey and Women’s Squash. In May, it was Melbourne’s turn to host with seven events, Melbourne won four – Men’s Tennis, Women’s Hockey, Men’s Volleyball and Mixed Ultimate to lead Monash 11-8 overall.
The University’s performance in Women’s Hockey was particularly remarkable, winning 8-0. Clare Arragon, who coached the team, was proud of the great all-round showing by the Melbourne girls. “We had a convincing win over Monash, leading 4-0 at half-time and doubling the score to 8-0 by the end of the match. With few entries by Monash into the attacking 25, when the play did reach our defensive line, our fullbacks Zoe Atherden and Cora Winslow were quick to win the ball back into Melbourne’s possession. Neive Campbell and Remi Stallworthy maintained most of the game’s possession in the midfield, with both putting goals into the back of the net. American exchange student from University of Rochester NY, Maeve Fogarty, was dangerous in the striker line and scored multiple goals, asserting dominance on our home turf.”
As the competition resumed in Semester 2, Melbourne played host for the last four events with the overall title still up for grabs. The visitors notched up wins in Men’s and Women’s Badminton and Men’s Table Tennis to level up the overall score on 11-11. It came down to the outcome of the Women’s Table Tennis to decide the overall champion, and the Melbourne team came through with tight victory to take the crown.
Alongside the UniNationals and other intervarsity competitions such as the University Basketball League, the Big Blue provides additional opportunities for students to don the University blue across a wide range of sports. Clement Lam, who was part of the victorious Mixed Ultimate team, enjoyed how the competition combined competitiveness and fun.
“Big Blue was an amazing experience. It brought together great talents that strived towards achieving excellence. It was a place where we students could express ourselves and have fun. Winning was a bonus!”
Beyond the results, the Big Blue again plays an important role for both participation and spectatorship. The competition saw a huge turnout, with over 750 spectators turning up to cheer on participants across the three home fixtures. Sport Performance Coordinator Tony Sephton was pleased by the effort put into the competition both on and off the field.
“The Big Blue is incredibly competitive with many of the matches going down to the wire. The commitment every year to field our best teams is a testament to our student volunteers who work tirelessly in planning and arranging trials for these matches. I’m proud of the University of Melbourne team who displayed a competitive spirit with fairness and sportsmanship at the heart of every performance.”
Tony’s sentiments were shared by Matthew Sheldon-Collins, Senior Program Leader at Monash University.
“The 2024 Big Blue competition was again a great success, giving students another opportunity to represent their University in intervarsity sport. Over 23 matches, the final result came down to a single win on the last night. Congratulations to the University of Melbourne and our thanks to all those from both Universities that supported the event.”
Both Melbourne and Monash will now be sending a range of teams to compete at the Uni Nationals in Canberra from 7-13 September 2024