Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cups: Wrap, results, standouts from the 2025 grand finals
There were stunning pieces of skill and full-field tries as history was made in the grand finals of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups.
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Some of the brightest rugby league talents in regional NSW were on the big stage as the Andrew Johns (under-16s) and Laurie Daley (under-18s) Cup competitions took over GIO Stadium in Canberra for the 2025 grand finals.
With plenty of records and history on offer, the teams put on a thrilling show with a couple of captivating deciders in wet and wild conditions.
Find out who prevailed below.
ANDREW JOHNS CUP
KNIGHTS DOWN TITANS TO CREATE HISTORY
The Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights have created history by winning their first Andrew Johns Cup title after defeating the Northern Rivers Titans 14-10 in a seesawing clash at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
Some brilliant kicking from halfback Ty Ennis and classy finishing by the outside backs proved crucial as the Knights saw off the resilient Titans’ side to break through to win the competition names after a club legend.
In a game played in wet conditions, an early Titans error gave the Knights the chance to strike first.
Winger Chayce Afa looked like he was about to go over after a nice spread to the right but was bundled into touch by some excellent scrambling defence from the Titans, who were looking for their record-equalling third title in the competition.
Afa was in the thick of the action early and appeared to score 10 minutes in after getting on the end of a fantastic kick from halfback Ennis, however play was pulled back by the match officials.
With rain falling in Canberra there were plenty of errors from both sides.
As a result, the bomb was a key weapon, and Newcastle received a penalty after one of its players was taken out while going for an attacking high ball, giving the side a fresh set of six on the Titans’ line.
A couple of plays later they shifted it right where centre Tyler Donaldson managed to get the ball down for the first try of the game after a quarter of an hour to make it 4-0.
In the very next set Ennis stepped up to the plate with a brilliant 40/20 to put his side on the attack once again.
While Newcastle was unable to capitalise on the opportunity, it was the Titans who charged up field after receiving a penalty.
Then with a scrum 10m out from the Knights’ line, the Northern Rivers side put on a set move to hit back.
They shifted the ball left to winger Jaylon Russell, who put the foot down before passing it off to his winger Jay Walpole to score in the corner. Parker Kemister then slotted the conversion from the sideline to put his side ahead 6-4 with six minutes to play before halftime.
However just as the Titans taken an unlikely lead given the balance of play, a forward pass while coming out of their own end gave the Knights a chance late in the half.
This time Newcastle didn’t pass up the opportunity as fullback Rico Elers went over on the left edge to give his side an 8-6 lead at the break.
Rain kept coming down during halftime and both teams continued to struggle with ball handling early in the second half.
However despite the difficult conditions both teams were continuing to chance their arm.
Some nice second-phase play helped the Knights charge up field before a brilliant piece of skill pushed them further in front.
Taking the ball on the last, Ennis once again showed his class with the boot by putting in a brilliant cross-field kick for winger Afa, who did exceptionally well to leap, grab the ball, juggle it and then regather to score a try worthy of any grand final.
This time Ennis slotted the conversion to make things 14-6.
The Knights almost went over a couple of minutes later following a Titans knock-on deep in their own end, however the referee ruled that the ball had been grounded before Newcastle’s Morgan Carter picked up the scraps and headed towards the tryline.
It was a case of deja vu in the next set. Newcastle’s Chase Firman appeared to lose the ball backwards before his team regathered and went over through Benji Thompson, only for the referee to call play back and give the Knights a penalty for a strip.
The Knights had dominated the second half, however a penalty helped the Titans up field and then some determined work from Walpole saw the winger go over for his second to make it 14-10 with seven and a half minutes remaining.
The rain kept causing difficulties as both sides struggled to complete their sets. And although errors provided the Northern Rivers side with a couple of late opportunities to pinch it at the death, the Knights held on to claim a famous victory.
Capping off a brilliant season in the number seven jersey, halfback Ty Ennis was awarded the Robert ‘Bert’ Lowrie Medal for player of the match in the final.
“It feels surreal and I’m very excited for all the boys to finish off a good season,” Knights coach Joshua Corby told NSWRL media.
“They’ve been working hard and to come here is a pretty good experience for them, and to get the win just tops it off.
“We definitely played to the conditions and it might not have been that exciting for the crowd to play tough footy but it was what we needed to do and we hung on.”
Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights 14 (Donaldson, Elers, Afa tries; Ennis one goal) defeated Northern Rivers Titans 10 (Walpole 2, Kemister one goal)
LAURIE DALEY CUP
DRAGONS CONFIRM DALEY CUP DOMINANCE
The Illawarra South Coast Dragons have confirmed their status as the kings of the Laurie Daley Cup, picking up an unprecedented fourth crown in the competition after defeating the Macarthur Wests Tigers 27-16 in the grand final.
After a blistering start the Dragons were forced to hold off a resurgent Tigers’ team before eventually running out winners with some spectacular football.
In a clash between two rivals from the Southern Pool, it was the Dragons who started the brighter.
Backrower Kapene Karaitiana went extremely close when he was held up after just four minutes, while fullback Jack Talbott came within centimetres of scoring after planting down a Lexin O’Dea grubber on the dead-ball line.
Illawarra was on top and the pressure showed nine minutes in when five-eighth Beau Baldock put in a perfectly weighted grubber that sat up beautifully for centre Archie Wheeler to score the first try of the game after nine minutes.
Ten minutes later the Dragons doubled their lead when a beautiful shot ball from lock Cruz King put Jack Lynch through a gap. With just the fullback to beat, Lynch showed some nice footwork to go straight through and score under the sticks to make it 12-0.
It had been a difficult start for the Tigers as errors continued to put pressure on the side.
However a dangerous bomb from halfback Stirling Faumui forced an error out of the Dragons and Macarthur hit back late in the half when centre Glassie Glassie showed his strength to power over on the right edge.
Illawarra had been by far the better team in the first half and ensured that it took a handy lead into the break when Talbott slotted a field goal to make it 13-6 at the break.
The Dragons continued this momentum in the second half, with halfback Lexin O’Dea kicking a 40/20 in the first set and hooker Axel Antony being held up over the line.
While the Illawarra side might have been denied on that occasion, two minutes later it struck with a stunning length-of-the-field try.
Collecting a kick just five metres out from his own line, Talbott went to the blind side and put winger Jack Koster into space down the right touchline. Koster showed off a good palm and plenty of speed to shoot down the line before passing back inside to Talbott, who finished off the job by running the final 40m to score a brilliant try.
With the margin stretching out to 11 points, the Tigers needed to hit back quickly and that’s exactly what they did nine minutes after the break when Glassie once again showed how dangerous he can be by palming off two Illawarra defenders to go straight over from an attacking scrum. Aidan Richards slotted the conversion to make it 17-12.
Suddenly the Tigers had a roll on, with some excellent carries sending the side up field and a dangerous bomb from Tyson Walker forcing an error out of the Dragons. A couple of plays later they made Illawarra pay when a nice cut-out ball from Faumui put Richards over in the corner to make it 17-16 with just over 20 minutes to play.
What followed was a passage of end-to-end football, with both sides looking to force errors out of the other.
A Macarthur knock-on, followed by a penalty to Illawarra, opened the door for the Dragons to land a critical blow.
With a fresh set on the Tigers’ line, the Dragons turned to a couple of their stars, with Talbott firing an inside ball back to Baldock, who did brilliantly to put the ball on his toe and then outrun Macarthur fullback Aaron Paea to plant it down just inside the dead-ball line and make it 21-16 with 12 minutes to play.
With just a five-point deficit the Tigers were still well and truly in the match, and with five minutes remaining they were on the attack in search of a late winner.
Looking to shift the ball left, five-eighth Walker fired a cut-out ball away to his outside men. However like a flash of red, Illawarra winger Aidan Turner plucked the ball out of the air and ran 70m up field.
With the Macarthur defensive line in disarray and players going down with cramp everywhere, the Dragons shifted the ball right on the next play until they found skipper Wheeler, who aptly put the game to bed by crossing in the right-hand corner to seal the title for his side.
Dragons’ fullback Jack Talbott put an exclamation mark on an outstanding tournament by winning the John ‘Choc’ Anderson Medal for player of the match.
The result continues Illawarra’s dominance of the competition, with the Dragons having won four of the seven Daley Cup titles held since its inception in 2018, a feat unmatched by any other club in either regional representative competition.
“They are inspiring players and they deserve this because they set out to do what they said they would do,” coach Adam Sargent-Wilson told NSWRL media.
“In this wet weather they played exceptionally well, they were tough to keep building some pressure.
“I’m super proud of the way they worked all year and then to put it together so well in the grand final – unbelievable - I’m really happy for them.”
Illawarra South Coast Dragons 27 (Wheeler 2, Lynch, Talbott, Baldock tries; Talbott three goal; Talbott one field goal) defeated Macarthur Wests Tigers 16 (Glassie 2, Richards tries; Richards two goals)
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