Revealed: NRRRL people’s choice team of the year 2025
After a huge season, footy fans have had their say. Check out who were the crowd favourites and see who made the NRRRL people’s choice team of the year.
After a huge season of local footy and an exciting voting period, the readers have finally had their say and picked the NRRRL people’s choice team of the year.
Provided with a list of top performers in each position, fans were given the chance to vote for who they thought should have made the side.
And with the polls now closed, check out who got the nod.
FULLBACK
Noah King (Marist Brothers, 36 per cent of votes)
It was a dream season for the Marist number one, who played a huge role in taking the team to a drought-breaking premiership.
But despite the success it didn’t come easy, with King taking his fair share of knocks at the back and showing just as much toughness as skill throughout the season.
WINGERS
Malachi Dumas (Cudgen, 25 per cent), Blake Marrison (Murwillumbah, 21 per cent)
Plenty of spark on the wings, with Cudgen’s Malachi Dumas coming out on top of the vote after an outstanding season for the minor premiers that saw him run in 12 tries and often create something out of nothing.
Meanwhile Murbah winger Blake Marrison was rewarded for an outstanding season out wide for the Mustangs, who rode the wave all the way to the grand final before falling just short in the big one.
CENTRES
Mitchell Krause (Marist Brothers, 29 per cent), Joel Hare (Cudgen, 26 per cent)
It was a fairytale year for Marist skipper Mitchell Krause who, after earlier announcing that he would hang up the boots at the end of the season, lifted the trophy on grand final day to win his first ever NRRRL title.
A tryscoring machine as always, he was at his dangerous best out wide and crossed the stripe 17 times to be the competition’s third-highest tryscorer.
Meanwhile Cudgen crowd favourite Joel Hare has once again shown how highly regarded he is among the fans after the Hornets’ outstanding regular season.
FIVE-EIGHTH
Elliott Speed (Cudgen, 30 per cent)
The playmaker was excellent in his debut season or the Hornets, with his kicking game and general management a huge factor behind the club’s runaway minor premiership success.
In a sign of just how good Speed was according to the fans, he beat out a crack field that featured Ballina’s Tyrone Roberts, Murwillumbah’s Josiah Afu and Marist’s premiership winner Jye Davis to be selected in the people’s choice team of the year.
HALFBACK
Shallin Fuller (Marist Brothers, 35 per cent)
NRRRL player of the year at the association’s awards night and man of the match in the grand final, it was difficult to see anyone else getting the nod after a truly stunning season from the Marist half.
Whether taking on the line, going off the cuff or playing the percentages with his excellent kicking game, Fuller was a constant threat anytime he got near the ball, running in nine tries himself and laying on countless more for his very appreciative teammates.
HOOKER
Shannon Gardiner (Murwillumbah, 26 per cent)
The Mustangs dummy-half prevailed in the tightest poll of all, with just three votes separating him, Marist’s Paul O’Neill and Jackson Rohweder from Cudgen.
It caps off an outstanding first season at the club for Gardiner, who in addition to his crafty work at hooker also showed his versatility by shifting into a running forward role at times.
FRONT-ROWERS
Connor Ziebell (Cudgen, 32 per cent), Lochlen Perren (Marist Brothers, 18 per cent)
A couple of familiar names came out on top in the prop poll, as Cudgen enforcer Connor Ziebell was comfortably voted the best front-rower in the comp, while Marist stalwart Lochlen Perren edged out the challengers to book his spot in the side.
SECOND-ROWERS
Luke Toon (Cudgen, 25 per cent), Anthony Colman (Ballina, 18 per cent)
One of Cudgen’s most consistent performers in recent years, Luke Toon benefited from a more regular shift to the edges as the Hornets blitzed the regular season.
Meanwhile last year’s player of the season Anthony Colman was once again superb for Ballina, running in 10 tries in another outstanding campaign for the Seagulls.
LOCK
Caleb Ziebell (Cudgen, 50 per cent)
The most emphatic result in the poll, there were no doubts among the fans as to who was the best lock in the comp in 2025.
After Ziebell played as arguably the world’s biggest ever five-eighth last season, the arrival of Elliott Speed allowed him to return to his preferred lock position, where he surprised absolutely no one with another excellent campaign.
UTILITY
Owen Fredericks (Tweed Coast, 20 per cent)
Edging out Murwillumbah’s Lachlan Adamson by a single vote, the lone Raider in the people’s choice team was once again was of Tweed Coast’s best in a season that showed some promise despite not finishing with finals football.
Shifting between five-eighth and lock, Fredericks showed off his versatility as a ballplayer and runner of the ball, filling gaps where needed throughout the year.
ROOKIE
Callum Prichard (Cudgen, 40 per cent)
“It’s a case of ‘watch this space’ with Cal,” Cudgen coach Wayne Forbes said ahead of the 2025 season. “He’s just a tough, young, no-nonsense footy player.”
As it turns out, the Hornets mentor was right on the money as Prichard impressed in his first year of A-grade footy, slotting in at various positions to earn a spot in the team that dominated much of the regular season.
There was plenty of love for the Cudgen young gun, who beat fellow excellent rookies in Byron Bay’s Tom Welman and the NRRRL’s rookie of the year, Casino’s Josiah Clifford, to make the people’s choice side.
COACH
Wayne Forbes (Cudgen, 48 per cent)
He might not have walked away with the grand prize at the end of the season but Cudgen’s Wayne Forbes certainly won the respect of footy fans after leading his side to a minor premiership in 2025.
After losing just one game and drawing another, the Hornets finished the regular season four points clear of second-place Marist Brothers.
They were then desperately unlucky that a shift in the finals format that saw it lose its second bite of the cherry – introduced in order to fit in wet weather catch-up games – meant that Cudgen was bundled out in the semi-final after it had a rare off day against a rampaging Murwillumbah side.
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Originally published as Revealed: NRRRL people’s choice team of the year 2025
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