Merewether coach Nick Bampton reckons the Greens are the Manly of Hunter Rugby - "Everyone hates us".
There is no doubt that University are the feel-good story of the final series.
Victory in Saturday's grand final against Merewether at No.2 Sportsground would be the Students' first premiership since 1988.
The last time they made it to the big dance was almost 20 years ago in 2008, going down to Hamilton.
Merewether, on the other hand, are in their fifth straight grand final. They were victorious in 2022 and 2024.
A core of that team remains.
"We are the Manly of Hunter Rugby. Everyone hates us," said Bampton, who played juniors for Merewether and is in his second year at the helm of first grade.
"That is because we have been so successful over the years.
"It is a very big day for University. They have a lot of emotion to carry. We know what to expect."
Merewether are the club champions and their four senior teams - first, second, third grade and the women - are playing on Saturday.
The eastern side of the ground will be a sea of green with most fans wearing commemorative shirts with the slogan "One Club, One Dream" on the back.
"This year is the first time in a very long time where we have had every grade, including the women in the grand final," Bampton said.
"That is a really big achievement. We are doing a whole club jersey presentation on Friday night to celebrate that."
For the first half of the first grade season, Merewether looked unbeatable.
They won 10 games straight, before stumbling to University 38-33.
It was the first of three defeats in the final five rounds.
They were then outmuscled 29-15 by University in the major semi-final before bouncing back to their best in a 50-29 triumph over Wanderers in the preliminary final.
"It was a test that we probably needed," Bampton said. "We had a dip in the few rounds.
"We got back to probably our strongest 15 on the weekend, played brand of footy that we wanted to play and it resulted in 50 points."
The first grade coaches not contesting the grand final have all tipped University to complete a fairytale season.
They believe the major semi-final was the blueprint for success.
The Students pack, led by Tufuga brothers Sam (prop) and Kirk (No.8), out-muscled the Greens and laid a platform for the quicksilver backline to find holes.
What the coaches say
Luke Sherwood (Wanderers) - Uni has the team to finally break their 38-year premiership drought. With some new faces joining the squad this season, they have some exceptional talent and genuine pace across the backline. They can create opportunities from anywhere on the field and are a constant threat in attack. Their set piece has also been one of the strongest and most consistent throughout the season. If their forwards can provide a solid platform and allow the backs to play off front-foot ball, Uni will be a very difficult team to contain.
Luke Cunningham (Maitland) - University "I think the balance of their side is right. They have good pack which gets them over the ad-line in general play. They have some clever ball players in the pack too which changes the point of contact. Their set piece is strong and then they have the class of Tute Grant and Ueta Tufuga delivering to the pace out wide. That will get them across the line.
Marty Berry (Hamilton) - University: If it is a dry day, University's backs are a step above. They have some real quality in the backline. They are very quick. If something happened to Merewether tight head Nik Dobson, they would struggle big time. When he is not in the front row, they go backwards. When he is at tight head they are dominant.
Va Talaileva (Southern Beaches) - University: The arrival of the Tufuga brothers Sam, Ueta and Kirk at University has made a huge difference. They are so experienced and have played at a high level. Throw in Tute Grant at 10, Taulogo Lalaga has been outstanding in the centres and Paddy Small at fullback is a freak. I love watching him play. He is so explosive. I just think Uni will have too much class. A new premiership winner would be good for the comp as well.
