On Friday October 18, JCU took on the Army in the annual Uni v Army event. It was a fantastic day of sport across the Townsville region.
For the first time since 2018, JCU were able to win overall winning 5 of the 8 games.
Here is a breakdown of what happened across each event.
Men’s Basketball
We started the event at Townsville Stadium with the men's basketball clash.
Both sides were kept even in the first half with the Army leading at halftime by only a couple of points however in the second half, the Army had better accuracy in their shooting with the fourth quarter blowing out JCU to win the basketball match for the fourth straight year.
Final Score: 51-25
MVP – Chris John (Army)
Women’s Netball
After the Army going back to back in previous years in the netball, JCU was able to reclaim the women's netball.
JCU showed their dominance throughout the game getting out to an early lead in the first quarter. JCU continued with that momentum throughout the clash to maintain and extend the lead. JCU proved to be too strong for the Army as they were everywhere on the court.
Final Score: 51-18
MVP – Mackenzie Linton (JCU)
Mixed Netball
The mixed netball clash was once again a hotly contested game. In the first quarter, JCU were able to get out to an early lead and maintained that lead for the entire game however the Army did not give up with less than 2 minutes to go, the Army were able to pull the deficit back to two points however JCU were able to keep their composure to reclaim the mixed netball.
Final Score: 30-27
MVP – Declan Mitchell (Army)
Women’s Soccer
We returned back to the Joe Baker Field for the rest of the games with the women's soccer the first clash.
JCU had the possession and field position throughout the first half with the Army being able to hold out JCU however about 5 minutes from halftime, a scramble inside the box allowed JCU to score first. JCU were then able to come out in the second half and score again to double their lead before a final goal in the last minute of the clash securing victory for JCU and reclaiming the trophy.
Final Score: 3-0
MVP – Paige Malu-Aduli (JCU)
Men’s Soccer
Following the women's clash, we had the men's encounter.
After 5 minutes in the game, JCU were able to score first to give the university the lead. A game that continued to show passion and physicality, JCU were able to score a second goal midway through the second half to give them breathing space. Much like the women's clash, JCU were able to score third goal late in the game to go back-to-back in the men's soccer for the first time in the JCU Uni v Army history.
Final Score: 3-0
MVP – Callum Wenck (JCU)
Mixed Touch Football
Much like the mixed netball, touch football is another emerging game within this event.
Whilst JCU were able to score first, the Army then took the momentum to score the next couple in the match. The Army were able to maintain and build on that lead with a few more tries to hold out against JCU to spilt the touch football series 3-3.
Final Score: 9-5
MVP – Taehee Kim (JCU)
Women’s Rugby 7s
Like any other year, the JCU Commander’s Cup match is always a great clash and tight encounter between JCU and the Army.
JCU were able to score the first two tries to give them a 12-0 lead however a try before halftime and at the beginning of the second half to the Army kept the game close with the score 12-10. However, JCU score a third try in the clash to secure victory and reclaim the JCU Commander's Cup.
Final Score: 17-10
MVP – Bree Birtwistle (Army)
Men’s Rugby Union
The men's rugby clash like every other year is a tough physical encounter and this year it was no different. The game showed a lot of passion early on from both sides with the referees needing to intervene to control the game in the first half.
JCU did put up a valiant effort defensively early in the clash to keep the Army out however the defensive line ended up being broken by the Army. From there, Army had the momentum in the first half to then score 3 more tries to lead 24-0 at halftime.
Despite being down, JCU showed a lot of fight in the second half to keep the Army scoreless and maintain the possession. Unfortunately, JCU could not break the Army's try line with the Army claiming the JCU Chancellor's Cup for the sixth straight year.
Despite the victory for the Army, JCU played well with the team eager to win back the Cup for the first time since 2017.
Final Score: 24-0
MVP – Charlie Lennon (Army)
A big thank you to everyone who came down and watched the games throughout the day. It was a highly successful event and we look forward to it in 2025.
Photos by Phil Beaudry from P&B Photography.
