The 2024 AA Earthworks & Haulage Australian Championships Report
The 2024 AA Earthworks & Haulage Australian Championships was like no other before it. For the first time, prize money was awarded to the winning Premier League teams for Men’s, Mixed and Women’s. All up $3000 was in play. In addition, and also for the first time, a Bowl division was created in the finals format providing yet another avenue for both Men’s and Mixed teams to claim the silverware.
Women’s Review
The Women’s Division was played in tremendous spirits with each team remaining competitive throughout the round games. East Brisbane, UQIC and West Brisbane all traded wins in low scoring affairs whilst the top three sides (Logan, North Brisbane and Moreton Bay) similarly had some epic games during the rounds including several draws. The top four that made the semi finals included Logan, North Brisbane, Moreton Bay and West Brisbane and these finals could not have been any closer with North Brisbane edging out Moreton Bay 1-0, and Logan beating West Brisbane 3-1.
In the grand final, North Brisbane took on Logan in what promised to be a scintillating and closely fought affair. The players put on a show and did not disappoint with the game entering golden point after the scores were level at full-time, 1-1. In the end a crafty and deft kick from North Brisbane saw Tegan Schneider swoop and claim the golden point try and take the game and Event for the ‘Bucks. The team was awarded $1,000 for the victory with Tegan Schneider also taking out female player of the Event.
Men’s Review
There were four pools for Men’s through the rounds with many closely contested games and exciting TRL play. There were a number of teams that had made big sacrifices to be at the Tournament and travelled a significant distance including sides from Parramatta, Cronulla, St George and Melbourne. The Parramatta Blue team, captained by Genesis Yuseco, was a standout from the travelling teams pushing for finals but just missing out after a couple of close losses that really could have gone their way.
As we moved into the Sunday, as mentioned above, there were four different divisions which teams played off for. Premier League, Cup, Plate and Bowl.
The Bowl final was an epic affair with South Brisbane facing Beenleigh who were very competitive in every division across the Event. South Brisbane were too strong in the end taking it out 6-4 – special mention to Rama Chon for leading the team across the Event.
In Plate, elite TRL newbies – North Brisbane (captained by Harry Ryan) – were short priced favourites given their form through the rounds. This team could easily have been in the Premier League finals given their quality and roster. They played a plucky UQIC who fought admirably but in the end went down 5-0 to the ‘Bucks.
In Cup, we had the Gold Coast Men’s side coming up against Logan Lakers (Pink). It was a tremendous effort from the Gold Coast who played extraordinarily well across the Event. However, they were coming up against one of the favourites to finish on top of Premier League (let alone Cup) so it was going to be a tough ask matching it against the likes of Khanui Cox. In the end the Logan side was just too strong taking it out 9-3.
Finally in Premier League, we had an epic showdown between the North Brisbane Bucks (led by Zak Ryan) and the Logan Lakers. If you are wondering if both Logan and North Brisbane have been mentioned a few times, you are not wrong. Both of these regions were very dominant across the Event – Logan making four grand finals and North Brisbane making five grand finals and therefore taking the Region Championship (picture at below of report) as well…..but back to this game….wow! It was something special. Tied up 2-2 on full time, the game entered a golden point period with ensuing drop-offs. North Brisbane took possession close to the line and after having a try disallowed, finally went across to take the game! Huge effort from all players and special mention to Toia Tuhe (Bucks) for taking out male player of the Tournament and Troy Ford for taking out the Tim Swan Medal (best and fairest across the entire Event). The North Brisbane (pictured immediately below) side also took home $1,000.
Mixed Review
Similar to the Men’s side of the draw, the Mixed had a whopping four pools duking it out across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We also had a number of teams travelling significant distances including several from NSW and Victoria. In particular it is worth highlighting the performance of the East Coast Blueys (South East Sydney – pictured below) who made it through to the Premier League semi finals. A huge effort from this team which was led by Indi Killick. They were dominant through the rounds before going down in a heart breaking loss to East Brisbane.
In the Bowl final, Beenleigh were too strong for North Brisbane. Bec Dwyer (also the region leader for Beenleigh) was an inspiration across the Event and it was a tremendous effort to knock off the North Brisbane side which featured a number of very strong players including McNab and Paritosh.
In the Plate final, East Brisbane took on West Brisbane in a cross-town affair. Both sides included a number of TRL stalwarts that have been around since the dawn of the game. In the end it was East Brisbane that reigned supreme 3-1. This game was played at a level normally reserved for Premier League matches and clearly demonstrates the depth across mixed in TRL.
In the Cup final, North Brisbane (led by Zak Ryan – yes another Zak Ryan led team) came up against UQIC who were fancying themselves of bringing home another piece of silverware to St Lucia. UQIC as a region performed very strongly across the Event but Brad Plant (President) would have felt this was their best shot at the title. Unfortunately they ran into a red hot North Brisbane who took the game 6-3. North Brisbane were probably unlucky not to be in the Premier League finals so it was a fantastic effort from UQIC to challenge them the way they did.
In the Premier League final, old foes East Brisbane and Logan again faced up to each other. These two teams play at an intensity and level which is the envy of all mixed teams and the quality of the grand final did not disappoint. The game was incredibly even for the most part until Logan ran away with the game late to clinch another Mixed Premier League title. This also meant Logan went home with $1,000 in prize money with Kaya Raupita-Kihi also taking out mixed player of the Tournament.
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It is important to thank our major sponsors and partners for this prestigious Event. These include AA Earthworks & Haulage, Experience Gold Coast, EV2 Sportswear, and Gallagher Insurance. A special thankyou also to Northwest Physio and all our amazing food trucks and vendors.
It also goes without saying that without our referees and venue managers, there is no TRL. These men and women in orange and black ensured the Event ran smoothly and are the true unsung heroes of these major Events. A special mention needs to be made for Dec Ellis who took out the prestigious Golden Whistle award for best referee.
Finally, we would like to congratulate Damian Sheppard for receiving the Monique Roberts Sportsmanship Award. Monique was a highly respected and cherished member of the TRL community who tragically lost her life in 2020. Damian’s honesty cost his team two points (when a score was disputed) so it was not an easy stand for him to take. Well done Damian!
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Full list of awards/winners:
- Region Champions: North Brisbane (5 Grand Finals)
- Women’s Premier League: North Brisbane
- Men’s Premier League: North Brisbane
- Mixed Premier League: Logan
- Men’s Bowl: South Brisbane
- Men’s Plate: North Brisbane
- Men’s Cup: Logan
- Mixed Bowl: Beenleigh
- Mixed Plate: East Brisbane
- Mixed Cup: North Brisbane
- Golden Whistle: Dec Ellis
- Monique Roberts Sportsmanship Award: Damian Sheppard (Beenleigh)
- Tim Swan Medal: Troy Ford (North Brisbane)
- Best Male Player: Toia Tuhe (North Brisbane)
- Best Mixed Player: Kaya Raupita-Kihi (Logan)
- Best Female Player: Tegan Schneider (North Brisbane)
Tom Longworth