Kawana Dolphins against Caboolture Snakes in 2024 open women’s Sunshine Coast rugby league grand final

Open senior women’s rugby league coaches have broken down their grand final match-ups, key tactics and leading players as they battle it out to be crowned 2024 Sunshine Coast champions.

Caboolture will play Kawana in the 2024 women's grand final. Picture: Tegan Schefe Photography and Richie Jarman/Infamous Photography.

The battle for major silverware has arrived with the two leading teams from the open women’s competition going toe-to-toe in the first grand final match of the 2024 Sunshine Coast rugby league season.

The Kawana Dolphins will take on the Caboolture Snakes in a grand final rematch in what will be a stand-alone final on Sunday at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

The SCGRL board voted to start the women’s season slightly earlier than the remainder of the senior competition in order to align the local players with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and BMD competition.

That meant the original plan was for the women’s grand final to be the last local game to be held at the stadium before the sports precinct undergoes a major redevelopment in the coming months.

The construction start date has since been extended which means the men’s A-grade, reserve grade, C-grade and under-19s will also play their grand finals at the Sunshine Coast stadium on September 15.

Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League president Jodie Price said she was proud of how the season had gone.

“It’s been another huge success this year, there were a few teething problems in the beginning with a few teams adjusting and players stepping up to the BMD competition but all of the clubs were really supportive and could see what the long term plan was,” she said.

“The last two to three years have been huge in terms of working and generating these pathways for the ladies so it’s very cool to see it all take shape now, I feel like a proud parent,” she said.

The women’s team also took out their second straight 47th Battalion title and have had a further five players selected in the Queensland Country team.

Price said she was excited for this weekend’s matches and hoped to see a good turnout.

“We did a stand-alone grand final in 2019 which was a huge success and this is why we chose to do it again to celebrate all of the positives that have come from the past few years and show how much we’ve grown.

“The whole day will be a ladies in league day to showcase our junior under-13s, under-15s, under-17s and open women’s which is quite special.”

Read below to find out what the coaches had to say ahead of their do-or-die match-ups.

OPEN WOMEN (Caboolture vs Kawana)

Kawana have somewhat cruised through the 2024 regular season with a record of 14 wins, zero draws and just one loss which came in round two to the Noosa Pirates.

The Dolphins lost the most local players of any team to the Falcons BMD side but held their own in the opening rounds and have been in red-hot form since those players have returned.

The Dolphins beat out second placed Maroochydore 30-18 in the major semi-final while third placed Caboolture have timed their finals run to perfection.

The Snakes finished the regular season with 10 wins, zero draws and five losses but come into the big dance after a 34-26 victory over Caloundra in their first semi final and a last ditch, 14-12 result over Maroochydore in their preliminary matchup.

Head coaches Shane Powell (Caboolture Snakes) and Geoff Wheeler (Kawana Dolphins) gave their thoughts on who would end up as 2024 premiers.

Kawana Dolphins 2024 Women's team. Picture: Richie Jarman/Infamous Photography.

Q: What have been your takeaways from the 2024 season?

Wheeler: “We’ve had a lot of setbacks this year with injuries and other outside factors but we’ve really knuckled down as a group and got through plenty of games that we probably shouldn’t have won. The girls are a very resilient group which is a big thing I’ve taken from this season and they’ve done a marvellous job to get to where we are now.”

Powell: “I think the season has been a fair bit of a struggle to be honest. We’ve had so many numbers coming in and going out each week which has been our biggest issue all year. Some players away with Falcons, some injuries, Sarai Pule went down to the Bulldogs which has been a big loss but then we picked up Shanae Gray and now have been able to scrap into the final so it’s been a season with a bit of everything.”

Q: What are you expecting for Sunday’s clash?

Wheeler: “I know Maroochydore were down on troops in their preliminary final but both sides played very well and it was great to watch. Caboolture is a very strong, well coached side and we know what they’ll bring. They were tough in the final last year and have been strong all season this year. They’ve got a really strong forward pack so we have to match them in the middle and be as physical as we can. They can push teams around pretty easily so we have to be strong in order to give us a chance at being competitive. They’ll be hard to beat but I think that’s where the game will be won or lost.”

Powell: “The win against Maroochydore was all on effort I think, the girls dug deep and banded together which was great to see. Kawana are a very organised side, they’ve got a great kicking game and attacking options so there’s a few things we have to look at before Sunday. We haven’t been able to put it all together when we’ve played them throughout the season, some games have been close but we’re going to have to prepare well.”

Caboolture Snakes 2024 women's team. Picture: Tegan Schefe Photography.

Q: What’s the feeling like among the playing group?

Wheeler: “We’ve got a great week planned, the girls are rested and excited and we’ve got a good chunk of availability across the board so it should be a nice run into Sunday.”

Powell: “The girls are extremely excited. I don’t know if it was a shock result against Maroochydore or if they just didn’t get a chance to reflect on making the grand final because it all happened so fast. It was very nailbiting for me on the sideline that’s for sure. We’ve got a few still out injured. Latisha Hoek broke her thumb a few weeks ago and she’s up there in the points scorers and has been probably our most consistent performer all year. She’s been a big loss, I’ll give her the opportunity to pass a fitness test but we’ll wait and see.”