 In the competition's inaugural season, the side contested an "all student" grand final against the University of New South Wales, but despite managing the same number of scoring shots as the opposition, they went under by 25 points.Another grand final appearance against the same adversaries in 1977 brought a similar result.Sydney University's first SFA premiership arrived in 1981 after a 10.14 (74) to 9.12 (68) grand final defeat of St Ives, but the following year brought disappointment with a 42-point defeat at the hands of the same opponents.