SCGRL players make their mark at 2024 9s carnival
The Sunshine Coast rugby league 9s has come to a close after a number of nail biting finals. See the complete carnival wrap plus the key players from every single division.
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Hundreds of players and spectators piled through the Sunshine Coast Stadium gates on Saturday for the Sunshine Coast Rugby League 9s.
More than 30 teams took to the fields across four divisions of A-grade, reserve grade, C-grade, open women, and under-19 men.
Here’s a complete wrap of the tournament winners plus a recap on the top performing players from every Sunshine Coast side.
A-grade
The Swans opened the scoring thanks to a nice ship kick over the top but failed to convert out wide meaning they held a 4-0 lead at halftime.
Neither team could create any true momentum with the ball but Coolum found a way over to take the scoreline to 6-4 with six minutes remaining.
Both sides fought hard for some extra points but neither could come up with the final play as Coolum cheered to the final whistle.
Colts head coach Matt Smith said he was extremely proud of his side’s undefeated efforts.
“It was a really good day, we’ve got a lot of new faces in the team so it was always going to be a bit of a challenge for them to gel in the beginning,” he said.
“That’s our first proper hit out which was good, we’re a youthful side sprinkled with a bit of experience and that paid off today.”
Smith was happy to shine a light on his new senior recruits.
“Last season we didn’t have those experienced A-grade players, we had to smother teams and just try to win gritty,” he said.
“This year we’ve got some good senior guys that can really lead us around the park and play some decent footy.
“It’s a really good vibe at the moment, a great culture and the boys are obviously pretty happy so a good way to start the year.”
Mason Peut (Maroochydore): Open space is free real estate for Peut in the general 13-a-side format so he was always going to be a player to watch in the 9s. The rising star was clinical all day for Maroochydore making big tackles and explosive runs from anywhere on the field.
Hayden Moore (Maroochydore): Standing outside rising Falcons star Mason Peut is a pretty handy place to be and that proved to be a success for Moore who showed solid acrobatic skills to put away a number of tries all day for his side.
Travin Baumann (Caloundra): Was explosive all day for the Sharks putting on big defensive hits. As expected Baumann showed his class with the ball in hand, creating space and opportunities for the players around him.
Ethan Pohlner (Noosa): The young back was happy to get his hands on the ball for the Pirates on Saturday, playing with intuition and flair. Some cheeky kicks in behind the defence as well as some good wide passes was a positive sign for the rising pirates attack.
Dyllan Cousens (Noosa): Controlled the game really well for his side, speeding it up or slowing it down when necessary. The talented dummy-half punched above his weight as always in the middle as well.
Dan Moevao (Coolum): Showed why he’s still one of the best ball-playing forwards on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday with plenty of tough carries as well as on-point cut out balls. The new Colts recruit also put his body on the line with a try-saving ankle tap on the wing.
Yamba Bowie (Coolum): Had some of the fanciest footwork of the day and caused plenty of headaches for his opposition defenders. Showed good ability to play wide or cut inside and slice through the middle forwards.
Nathan Saumalu (Coolum): Was electric all day and had plenty of highlight plays when linking up with his left side centre, Sam Elara.
Jackson Russell (Kawana): Was a spark for the Dolphins every time he got his hands on the ball. The Kawana half was able to create a good ‘go-forward’ for his side before looking to play wide or creativity through the middle.
Lachlan Short (Nambour): When he wasn’t creating or scoring tries he was putting on big shots in defence as well as organising the players around him. The Crushers fullback showed good energy and explosiveness at the back.
Taylor Hyland (Nambour): Competed in every minute of every match on both sides of the ball. Had the creative and attacking influence for his side.
Myles Gal (Nambour): Damaging. That’s simply how you would summarise Gal’s performance on Saturday. He attracted plenty of attention when he was winding up from behind the ruck and put a curve in the defensive line every time he ran the ball.
Tom Geraghty (Maroochydore): Was a key cog for the Swans as always producing good defensive efforts and strong forward momentum with the ball.
Ben Marshall (Caloundra): Despite the results Marshall was a shining light for his side in both attack and defence. He provided his outside men with good service off the ball and produced decent momentum in the middle of the park.
Oscar Crawley (Maroochydore): To no one’s surprise Crawley was another key go-to player for the Swans and had the ability to create something out of nothing no matter who was standing in front of him.
Hugo Lescouzeres (Nambour): The new French recruit caught the eye of many in his first proper hit out for the Crushers. The talented outside back was happy to leave his defenders in the dust as he crossed the whiteline a number of times.
Jaeden Usher (Coolum): A pure brute force for his side Usher took plenty of strong carries and plenty of people to stop him. He was a standout mobile forward and will no doubt be a key player for the Colts in the 2024 season.
Open Women’s
After a back and forth opening first nine minutes just one point separated the teams at halftime with Kawana leading 7-6.
Maroochydore hit back with a few minutes remaining to take a 12-7 final score.
New head coach Rob Brough said he was extremely proud of what his side had achieved.
“We’re a brand new football team and we had our full squad here today of 16 players,” he said.
“We’re slowly building, we had four girls today that had never played rugby league but this is the beautiful thing about rugby league where it allows you to stand up and do something special.
“You can look at the girls faces and emotions to see what a win means to them.”
He commended Kawana for their efforts.
“Kawana are going to have a number of BMD players return to them during the season and they'll be one hell of a football team,” he said.
“It was just nice today to play some good footy, get some confidence and get the win.”
Malia Ting (Kawana): Was arguably the best women’s player of the day, scoring a handful of exciting tries from space and strong running lines. Her kick over the top against Normandy was one of the day’s best displays of individual brilliance.
Georgia Bartlett (Maroochydore): Looks to be somewhat of a rising star for Maroochydore after her performances in the 9s competition. Bartlett, a former touch football star, had never played rugby league before but she wasn’t afraid to run the ball and was consistent with her passes from dummy-half. She also looked promising in open space or off her right foot.
Teagan Vaughan (Maroochydore): Led from the front all day for her side, showing a real want to have the footy in her hands. Vaughan was powerful in attack and opponents looked to avoid her in defence.
Marissa Nicholson (Kawana): Was consistent all day, controlling the speed of the game well and positively disturbing the ball to her teammates.
Kat Anderson (Noosa): The experienced dual-sporting Noosa star was in her element again on Saturday. Anderson created plenty of space for her wider players but also showed good pace down the wing when needed.
Jade Shuttlewood (Maroochydore): The Swans captain started slow but progressed strongly as the day went on, saving one of her better performances for the grand final. Shuttlewood’s ball control, kicking game and communication to the players around her proved to be the difference.
Laura Barklimore (Maroochydore): Another Swans player that started slow but she’s proved in the past that she rises up for the big games and she did exactly that in the grand final. Looked damaging with the ball in hand and showed good mongrel in defence as well.
Allyce Garrett (Noosa): Produced glimpses of promising attacking plays and was well supported from her five-eight, Keara Woods and second rower, Emily Garrett.
Reserve Grade
The first 0-0 halftime scoreline of the day came in the reserve grade grand final.
Both sides had good chances down their end but some solid defensive efforts meant neither could be the first to take true control of the match.
Bribie kept the ball alive to open the scoring with six minutes to go but that’s where the match ended, Bribie Island 6 to Noosa 0.
Luke Barton (Maroochydore): A Swans old boy that bought plenty of experience and footy IQ to his side on Saturday.
Darren Pereira (Maroochydore): A new recruit to Maroochydore Pereira was a big, effective body in the middle of the park. Showed a good work rate and positivity for the players around him.
Tyler Harvey (Maroochydore): A Swans young-gun that thrived in the 9s format with his quick footwork and energetic attacking flair.
Charlie Aitken (Kawana): Was really solid in attack, drawing plenty of defenders every time he scooted from half. Recorded plenty of try-assists throughout the tournament.
Jaylen Nom (Coolum): Was a workhorse all day for his side making a countless amount of tackles and effective runs. He was well supported by his halves pairing Bodhi Roberts and Zarn Love.
Anthony Evans (Bribie Island): A usual suspect of the Bribie Island side, Evans was damaging with the ball in hand and provided great link-up play for his teammates.
Troy Evans (Bribie Island): Was extremely damaging in attack at dummy-half and hardly missed a tackle all day. A true competitor that gives his all on every play.
Trent Rooney (Bribie Island): Played every minute of every game at five-eighth as he created and produced a number of tries for his side.
Cameron Saunders (Bribie Island): Was a damaging force in the middle, bending the line every time he touched the ball.
Danyn Stewart (Kawana): An effective front rower who was only getting his first taste of rugby league after playing cricket all his life. Was very strong in contact, had good offloads and wasn’t afraid of taking the big carries.
Luke Gillett (Bribie Island): Was strong and powerful in the middle all day long but also used his good ball playing skills to offload or put his teammates into space.
Douglas Brown (Kawana): A young and explosive Murri player that had electric footwork and played lovely ‘eyes-up’ footy.
Ashar Buckman-Williams (Noosa): Was arguably the best performing player of the reserve grade competition. The flashy outside back was most frequent on the edge or out the back for the Pirates and he finished as the side’s top try scorer. He stood up to the plate in the grand final after already filling in for A-grade all day as well.
Will Britten (Noosa): A tall, powerful player on the edge that also showed positive ball-playing ability.
Carson Lawrence (Noosa): Guided his side around the park really well all day playing at hooker or as first receiver.
Jake Trace (Nambour): Was another strong and effective playmaker for the Crushers, setting up or supporting a number of point scoring opportunities.
Blake Graham (Nambour): A big and powerful forward, Graham also possessed a good short passing game and punched holes into the opposition every time he ran the ball.
C-Grade
Kilcoy held on to a slim 8-4 lead over the Pine Rivers/Brisbane Veterans in the C-grade grand final.
Joel Kendall (Caloundra): Always looked threatening in attack and was able to cross the line a few times thanks to some individual brilliance with the ball in hand.
Dennis Elumson (Caloundra): Was extremely vocal in every game, helping his teammates find their spot in attack and defence. With the ball he controlled the attack really well and was a constant threat in defence.
Matthew O’Donnell (USC): Was vocal, strong in defence and positive in attack all day for his side. Controlled the speed of the game well.
Andrew Bundgaard (USC): Had great chat on both sides of the ball and was very effective in the defensive line. He had a crack every time he touched the ball, creating good opportunities for his side.
Jacob Thorn (USC): Thorn was the hard man of the Spartans forward pack producing a really solid work rate and strong carries of the footy.
U19 Men
Despite losing their opening match to Coolum, Caloundra were able to get the better of them in the grand final as they scored four quick tries in the first half.
That proved to be far too strong for Coolum as the Sharks ran away with the grand final result 24-7.
Sharks head coach Darren Hoffman said he was proud of his side’s effort.
“We only won two of the round games and we struggled quite a bit in the first two matches to adapt to the format of 9s,” he said.
“Once we did, we got some plans in place and started playing much better football.
“Having the wind behind us helped a lot in the first half as we kept getting the ball back and getting down their end to score some good tries.
“That really helped us towards the back end of the game.”
Daniel Foley (Maroochy/Nambour): Delivered quality service all day for his side. Despite having a majority of fresh faces around him, Foley controlled the ruck really well and played well above his weight in defence.
Josh Sheppard (Caloundra): Showed good toe when he found open pace but also directed his side around the park really well. Stepped up in the final showing composure on the ball.
Cooper-Jay Roby (Coolum): Managed to pick the right running line every time he was near the ball and showed good speed when in open space.
Koby Brown (Coolum): Was a constant threat in the middle of the park, creating good space and opportunities for his teammates. Showed good restraint with his ball-playing and guided his side to four from four wins in the pool games.
Jack Baumgart (Maroochy/Nambour): The Swans captain was a force to be reckoned with, showing great athleticism and fitness for his side. He was well supported by his halfback Caiden Ahsee.
Ethan Gannon (Coolum): Provided plenty of flair and pace to Coolum’s attack at five-eight. He took the ball to the line really well and showed good footwork at times as well.
Malakye Blow (Caloundra): Was a powerful force in the middle of the park, racking up plenty of strong running metres in attack.
Zahn Greenhalgh (Caloundra): Bought plenty of shape and positive outside attack for his side all day.
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