South Darwin wins Men’s A and B-grade grand final championships
The 2024-25 Darwin Rugby Union season came to a dramatic close with three exciting wet-weather match-ups each brimming with compelling storylines. Relive the action here.
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Three wet-weather clashes capped off the 2024-25 DRU season in style with storylines aplenty.
From South Darwin winning its first ever senior grade double to Darwin Dragons redeeming last year’s mistakes and securing a perfect season the final weekend of Top End rugby had it all.
A-grade: South Darwin 37 def. 36 Casuarina Cougars
South Darwin pulled off an upset for the ages defeating minor premiers and last year’s runner ups University Pirates by a point.
Despite trailing for the majority of the contest the men in red and green stuck fast and let their rugby do the talking to deliver the first ever double premiership in the club’s storeyed history.
University Pirates’ main man Robert Butcher got the party started as he leapt over the line in the far left in the second minute of play on the first attacking phase.
South’s fired back with a major of their own minutes later off the back of some brilliant back play to go level.
Penalty goals put the Pirates back in charge until South’s young gun Dan Cakau inspired his side with a monster run to set up his side’s second try.
Not to be out down Pirates’ Asiveli ‘Ice Man’ Rauga crossed for his first five pointer of the night, followed by Hugh Harbeck’s fantastic effort off a broken play down the left flank.
Up 26-15 at the half the Pirates looked to be in firm control while the Rabbitohs appeared a step off the pace.
Nevertheless, South’s fired back early on in the second to reapply the heat, closing the deficit to four.
A Rauga high-shot that left the Pirates a man down at the 32nd mark was an invitation too good to refuse for the Rabbitohs which crashed over down the blindside off a well orchestrated lineout.
Rauga made up for his indiscretion almost immediately once back on the field, scoring his second to put his side in front 33-32 with 17 to play.
The men in red and green struck back minutes later again capitalising on repeated Pirates infringements.
The clash remained at a frantic pace for the dying minutes until South’s scrum-half and player of the match medallist Shunsei Okazaki booted the Gilbert into touch to seal the deal.
An elated South Darwin bench stormed the field to congratulate and celebrate one another while a stunned and defeated Pirates unit fell to its knees heartbroken, defeated for the second consecutive season in the final moments again by a score.
“This win is a testament to all the hard work and effort we’ve put into this season,” South Darwin co-captain and 2024-25 Eric Johnson medallist Vincent Mehn said.
“After last season we regrouped laid out a clear game plan and stuck to it through the season,” South’s other co-captain Travis Mitchell said.
“This was a seriously tough match and Pirates are consistently the hardest team to beat,” Mehn said.
“It took some luck but it also took skill, and that’s just how rugby goes, you might be the better side but you lose by a point.
“To get the victory after the B’s won earlier, I think we might all head to the clubhouse for a bit of fun and celebration,” Mitchell said.
Women: Darwin Dragons 10 def. 3 Palmerston Crocs
The Darwin Dragons completed a historic undefeated season with a determined 10-3 victory over Palmerston Crocs in the championship clash.
A win 12-months in the works and redemption for last season’s disappointment the Dragons surprisingly were not at their potent best.
Palmerston struck first with a three pointer to take the lead but that was quickly undone as player of the match medallist and Dragons captain Ellie Nikki crossed for a try minutes later.
The conversion attempt fell just short, leaving the score at 5-3 heading into halftime.
Palmerston dug deep, refusing to back down, however the relentless nature and dominance of the Dragons forward pack eventually broke the Crocs who had little answer.
With the ball spending minutes in a tense battle near the Palerston’s line, the Dragons finally crashed through in the closing stages of the game.
A try from Keisha Humes sealed the win with five to play, with the Crocs unable to convert their late attacking opportunities.
“This was an emotional one for us as some of our girls are moving on after this season, and we wanted to finish strong,” Niki said.
“The Crocs pushed us, they kept coming at us but we stood up when it mattered.
“I’m the lucky one who gets the medal around my neck tonight, but it was a team effort.
“This club means so much to me … I was brought up with it … it feels great to get the win.”
B-Grade: South Darwin 17 def. 10 Casuarina Cougars
South Darwin snapped up its first B-Grade title in 10 years with a gritty 17-10 victory over the Casuarina Cougars in a rain-soaked grand final.
A penalty kick from South’s Francis Wapau got the match underway two minutes into the match, however it was Casuarina who were the form side for most of the first.
Liam Reely found a gap in South’s defence to score, with Jye Snowden slotting the extras to give the Cougars a 7-3 lead.
Slippery conditions and handling errors meant the match stayed a scrappy contest with momentum shifting constantly, South Darwin retaking the lead just moments before the half time hooter.
Number eight Carolas Dai powered through traffic to score a crucial try, with Jacob Rainger converting to give them a 10-7 lead at the break.
Casuarina levelled early in the second but the efforts of South’s backs delivered another five pointer for the underdogs.
Casuarina fought until the final whistle but missed penalties and unforced errors were the side’s downfall.
South Darwin’s halfback and man of the match Marc Pilla credited the win to the team’s late-season surge and the collective effort of the squad, highlighting the role of fly half Jacob Rainger in organising play.
“We built at the right time,” Pilla said.
“Everyone contributed today, and Rainger did a great job organising the boys and keeping us structured on the field.
“We knew Cougars were coming for us, but we played them three games in a row and beat them three times.
“Our forwards lifted, and that got us over the line.”
For Casuarina, it was another grand final heartbreak, falling short for the second consecutive year.
PREVIEW: Darwin rugby sides chase victory in 2025 grand finals
By Nathaniel Chambers
The last sides standing in the 2024-25 Darwin Rugby Union competition have their chance to claim glory when they face off in what’s shaping up to be a thrilling set of grand finals.
The premiers of both the men’s and women’s top divisions have already been knocked out paving the way for new victors.
The Darwin Dragons are coming for redemption in the women’s competition after a depleted side went to last year’s grand final and lost to the University Pirates.
But this year they’re all in and ready to take out the premiership for their club after an undefeated season through 2024-25.
Ellie Niki is one of those returning and, coming off a trip representing the NT at the Las Vegas Nines, is primed to make an impact in the final against the Palmerston Crocs.
Cassiela Wapau, Bianca Scrymgour and Ayesha Kay are others to watch out for while there’s a few youngsters ready to make an impact in their first big dance.
“Crocs have been a benchmark all season and though we’ve had a few tight wins we don’t know what they will throw at us, so expect the unexpected,” Niki said.
“Last year is still on the back of a lot of our minds, it’s not a nice feeling to make it to a grand final and lose so we’re back again ready to take it out and get the job done.
“We have strike weapons across the park, we have lots of juniors coming up and playing their first senior finals and we’re excited for them.
“There’s plenty of excitement, a lot of nerves which show we want to be here to redeem ourselves, we’ve just been taking it step by step riding this wave.”
Their foes the Palmerston Crocs have been the talk of the town in the past week beating the reigning premiers to earn their spot in their first women’s grand final.
Dailene Doyle said the nerves were setting in now for the squad but they were excited at the prospect of achieving something the club never had previously.
Roxy Mahony-Gilchrist has been in stellar form of late, while Vic Alley, Shari Togo and Erin Luchetti are others with the skills to push their side to glory.
“There’s a few nerves going around at the moment because this isn’t somewhere we’ve been and to get here is unreal for the girls,” Doyle said.
“There’s a lot of emotions but we just hope to come out on the weekend and do our best and have a crack at it.
“The prelim was a good game, both teams came in very strong and we turned up as a team, it couldn’t be an individual’s job but a whole team effort to get the job done.
“You can’t do any of it individually, you have to work as a team and realise no one is above anyone else, we just have to back each other and work together to get the job done.
“We don’t know what to expect as we’ve never been in a grand final before so it’s all about making sure we’re there for each other, we’re excited and know the atmosphere will bring a lot.
“Darwin have been our biggest competition, we’ve chased their tail all year and come close, and hopefully this one is the one we finally get them.”
Meanwhile, in the men’s competition features a face-off between the University Pirates and South Darwin Rabbitohs both after a victory of their own.
The record is two wins each for the sides this season with Souths winning the most recent encounter 32-17 in the semis forcing the Pirates into the long route to the grand final.
Souths have sides in both the A-Grade and B-Grade finals and have the firepower around their group to go for a fairytale double.
Rising Star winner Dan Cakau and Dallas Caulton are two young players who have really made their mark this season and are a worry for anyone with their pace down the wings.
Skipper Marc Pilla said the youth had been a good shot in the arm for his squad, which had lifted the enthusiasm among the group during finals.
That’s not to say the older heads are going to be any less influential with Eric Johnston winner Vincent Mehn in elite recent form and tall time such as Travis Mitchell in the locks helping get it done.
“It’s exciting, we’ve been building from last year and there’s a good belief in the group, everyone’s bought in and we’re excited for the match up,” Pilla said.
“We’ve got a couple of lightning quick wingers who are both only around that 18 age bracket and then we have the Eric Johnston winner Vincent Mehn in the side.
“There’s also our tall timber in the second row such as Travis Mitchell and our very mobile back row, which will trouble them.
“We expect them to come out all guns blazing, we know they’ve been a very good side over the years and there’s no exception this year.
“They’ve had the wood on us at times and their own quota of dangerous players so it could come down to how the teams start in what will be an exciting contest.”
The minor premiership winning University Pirates have been in the upper echelon of the league for some years now and have a set group well aided by some young up and comers.
The Pirates responded to their semi-final defeat with a resounding 59-19 victory against the Dragons in the prelim in which all-round sportsman Stylianos Vrontos shone.
Robbie Butcher remains one of the focus points of this outfit while young guys such as Anthony Paolucci in the front row and back rower Lochart Pringle have become fixtures.
“We’ve had a pretty good season, we’ve prepared well and been able to play some tough footy across finals,” Butcher said.
“We were able to take some lessons from the semi and then weathered the storm against Dragons early before being able to play the Pirates way to finish it off.
“We’ve built depth over the past few years and that’s really come to fruition this year, we’ve got quite a bit of youth which balances out us older fellas.
“We have a few older heads as well but we our younger guys whether on the bench or breaking through have kept people on their toes and bring lots of energy.
“Souths are physical, they brought it to us last game and we’re two each for the year, we know they’re going to be physical again and they’ve got some really exciting outside backs.
“It’s going to be a pretty physical game, but there will be plenty of attacking too, I don’t think any teams going to leave anything out there and die wondering.”
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Originally published as South Darwin wins Men’s A and B-grade grand final championships
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