Australian Championships 2025

The 2025 Australian Championships Report

The 2025 Australian Championships were held in Maroochydore across both the Rugby League Club and Immanuel State College. It was the first time the Event has run at the Sunshine Coast and it would not have been possible without the support of the Sunshine Coast Council.

The Event was also supported by Ev2 Sportswear, ENP Fitouts and Gallagher Insurance.

Before we recap on all of the results, it is important to pay tribute to all the referees and venue managers which helped make the Event a success. In particular, Mason Part (Tournament Director) needs special praise given his contribution.

Women’s

This division had it all through the rounds with the highlights being the re-emergence of the Sunshine Coast as a powerhouse and the continued development of the Beenleigh, Ipswich and East Brisbane regions as genuine contenders for dominance in Women’s TRL. In particular, it is worth mentioning the Sunshine Coast’s win over Logan Women’s as well as Beenleigh Black’s win over North Brisbane during the rounds, which drive home how competitive this division is becoming.

As we moved into Sunday, the top four teams duked it out in the Premier League semis whilst the second four teams did likewise in Cup. The Premier League teams being: Logan, North Brisbane, Beenleigh White and the Sunshine Coast. The Cup teams were: Ipswich, East Brisbane Black, Beenleigh Black and Melbourne.

In the Premier League, the familiar tale of North Brisbane v Logan took place again with both sides making the GF. However, this time, it was Logan proving too strong running away comfortable 7-0 winners. This win meant a lot for the Lakers who have often been on the wrong side of these epic encounters in previous years. In the Cup division, East Brisbane Black (pictured below) got a deserved win getting up 3-1 against a vastly improved Ipswich outfit which seems to be building every Tournament.

Men’s 30s

This division had one large looming presence – the Gold Coast (pictured below) – and it was always going to be difficult for some of the other regions to match their flair, speed and TRL IQ. As the weekend played out, we saw the Gold Coast dominate per the script with the likes of Paul Dewstow showing why he is now arguably the number one Men’s 30s player in the country. They amassed an impressive 58 points across the round games and ended up winning the GF 10-0.

Other notable performances across the weekend include the Melbourne 30s side which arguably got the closest to the Gold Coast when they met. The Sunshine Coast were also strong making the GF. There are a lot of great 30+ male players floating across the Sunshine Coast competitions so it would not be surprising if they were to go on a run over the next few years at major Tournaments.

To 2026 will see the return of North Brisbane’s big guns who are itching to return to the fold as well as some regions that will press for top honours at both the State Championships’ Events and the 2026 Australian Championships.

Men’s Premier League

For the first time in a few years, the Premier League ran as an independent division throughout the Tournament ensuring every game that these top teams played, was an epic encounter showcasing some of the very best TRL talent around.

This year saw the return of the Sunshine Coast and their presence was felt by the big guns of North Brisbane and Logan with several close games featuring these sides. East Brisbane also improved significantly over the course of the Tournament and will take plenty of heart going into 2026.

As we moved into Sunday, the final four were the Sunshine Coast, East Brisbane, Logan and North Brisbane and after some epic SF showdowns, Logan faced off against North Brisbane – again. The GF had everything and just when Logan felt they had the game in the bag at 5-2, North Brisbane scored an epic kick try (as they tend to do) taking the game to 5-4. In the end, Logan got the win which was particularly pleasing for coach Adam Breakspear who recorded the double (against North Brisbane) across Men’s and Women’s!

Men’s Cup & Men’s Plate

In Men’s Cup and Plate, we saw a number of teams push for top honours with the return of some of yesteryear’s greats – especially in the West Brisbane and Central Queensland lineups – mixing it with some of our new up and coming Men’s sides such as UQiC and a rejuvenated Gold Coast side. Across the two pools, there was very little difference in the top four teams (in terms of ladder points) meaning that the 8 teams to progress to Cup and Plate semi-finals were all very evenly matched.

In the Cup Division, the Gold Coast took on West Brisbane in a battle of youth versus experience. In the end, the Gold Coast side ran out victors with an impressive 5-2 victory meaning the Gladiators took home another premiership to go with their Men’s 30s heroics. In the Plate Division, a fast finishing UQiC which had built impressively over the three days, took on the Sunshine Coast who were also on a roll coming in the GF after a huge SF victory over Beenleigh. This was an incredibly tight tussle with both teams in a position to win the game right up until the final whistle. In the end, UQiC were too strong taking it out 3-2.

Mixed Premier League

Arguably the closest division in Australian Championships history – as we entered the final round, every team had a chance of making semi-finals with five draws across the regular rounds and only 5 ladder points separating first and fifth, at the end of Saturday’s games. In the end the final four teams consisted of Logan Black, Logan Purple, North Brisbane and East Brisbane.

Logan have been very dominant at the Mixed Premier League level for several years but both East Brisbane and North Brisbane have been right with them during this time. In the end both Logan teams were too strong for their rivals and met in the GF in what was expected to be a grudge match of epic proportions. The game see-sawed at times but Logan Lakers Purple were too strong taking it out 5-3. This made it an incredible 3 Premier League Titles for the Logan Club (pictured below).

Mixed Cup & Plate

The Mixed Cup and Plate pools featured a number of teams that should be pushing for higher honours in 2026. In particular the North Brisbane (Nash) side, multiple teams from East Brisbane, UQiC and multiple teams from Moreton Bay could have all been competitive playing at the Premier League level. As we entered the business end of things on Sunday, we saw some absolutely epic showdowns including a 10-9 SF victory to East Brisbane Orange over North Brisbane at the Cup level and a 5-4 victory (again to East Brisbane Orange) over UQiC in one of the closest GFs at this level in many years. Well done to all teams and in particular East Brisbane Orange!

At the Plate level, we saw several old timers come up against each other in the GF with Renee Kropp’s Moreton Bay side taking on Brad Edmonstone’s South Brisbane Spartans. In the end, Kropp’s team (pictured below) from the North were too strong taking it out 3-2.

Full list of awards/winners:

Region Champions: Logan Lakers

Monique Roberts Sportsmanship Award: Tony Muriwai (Melbourne)

Women’s Player of the Tournament: Kayla Mi Mi (Logan)

Mixed Player of the Tournament: Zac Kittel (Logan)

Men’s 30s Player of the Tournament: Paul Dewstow (Gold Coast)

Men’s Player of the Tournament: Alex Butler (Logan)

Tim Swan Medal – Best and Fairest (Entire Tournament): Kalani Mckenzie-Tonga (Logan)

Golden Whistle: Pete Sims (pictured below)

Mixed Plate: Moreton Bay

Mixed Cup: East Brisbane Orange

Mixed Premier League: Logan Purple

Women’s Cup: East Brisbane Black

Women’s Premier League: Logan

Men’s 30s: Gold Coast

Men’s Plate: UQiC

Men’s Cup: Gold Coast

Men’s Premier League: Logan

Tom Longworth