HAVE YOUR SAY: The best rugby league clubs in regional Queensland
Rugby league clubs from Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Cairns, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Mount Isa feature in our list of the best local clubs in regional Queensland. Have your say on which club is the best in regional Queensland.
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With the 2024 rugby league campaign now well and truly in the rear-vision mirror, it’s time to take a look at the clubs that defined the season that was.
Teams from Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Cairns, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba feature in our list of the best to do it this year.
GATTON HAWKS
Toowoomba Rugby League
The Hawks soared in 2024 claiming a Madsen-Rasmussen minor premiership and A-grade premiership double.
While the Warwick Cowboys captured the headlines and set the pace early, going 14 games unbeaten to start the season, the Hawks waited in the wings dropping just one game in the regular season.
A perfect blend of youth and experience the Hawks clipped Valleys Roosters wings in one the competition’s greatest ever grand finals.
With the scores locked 20-20 at full time Cameron Bundock broke Valleys hearts with a golden point try.
Bundock capped off a length of the field play, scoring on the last tackle of the first extra time set, to score the winner.
BEERWAH BULLDOGS
Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League
Beerwah claimed back-to-back A-grade premierships in 2024 but the men in blue and white definitely did it the hard way.
The Doggies started the season with three wins and four loses before a hard look in the mirror saw them storm through their next seven games undefeated before enduring a few rollercoaster results to end the regular season.
A mismatched Beerwah side were humbled 32-6 in the qualifying final, missing four players to suspension and a further five already ruled out for the season with injury.
Doing it tough, the Bulldogs kept their season alive with a 24-22 win the following week and a turnaround 16-14 victory in the preliminary final.
Behind the scenes, star halfback and captain Matt Kidd joined his brother Daniel ‘DK’ on the sidelines for training as Matt nursed a dislocated shoulder while Daniel rested as much as possible with a predicted torn hamstring.
DK lasted one run in the grand final and was later joined on the sidelines by hooker Forde-Hurell (dislocated shoulder) and utility hooker Taoho Kake (broken arm).
Beerwah were eventually reduced to just 13 available players for the final 15 minutes and after repetitive defensive efforts, saw out the game with a 20-16 victory.
SOUTHS BULLS
Rugby League Townsville and District
The Bulls fell just short of a fairytale comeback season last year when they re-entered Townsville’s competition for the first time in decades, and they were intent on not letting their opportunity slip away this season.
Souths were simply unstoppable, going through the 16-game season undefeated (15 wins and a draw) before suffering defeat in the first week of finals.
However the Redmen rallied to win back-to-back knockout finals and claim a historic triumph that will long live in the memories of Townsville’s rugby league community.
SARINA CROCS
Rugby League Mackay and District
Sarina produced an incredible 2024 campaign under the stewardship of captain-coach Kane Linnett, claiming victory in the 2024 RLMD grand final over Brothers.
Featuring Dally M medallist Ben Barba among its ranks, the Crocs lifted to another level in the RLMD finals series to overcome a nigh unbeatable Brothers outfit in both the major semi-final and the grand final.
KANGAROOS
Far North Queensland Rugby League
With an average winning margin of 38 points, the Kangaroos women’s side dominated the competition and did not hold back.
Going undefeated in the home and away season, they won the flag the hard way, losing the first final which according to captain Genavie Tabuai was the wake-up call her side needed.
EMU PARK
Rockhampton District Rugby League
Emu Park suffered just two defeats in 2024 across the club’s premiership-winning A-grade and women’s teams.
The Emu Park A-grade attack was unstoppable, scoring almost 40 points per game as they dominated the competition, while the women put up a brick wall in defence to concede less than four points a game.
A-grade fullback Connor Rothery finished second overall in the tryscoring charts with 19 four-pointers this season.
COOLUM COLTS
Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League
From a club office that began in a caravan in 1989, the Colts fielded their inaugural division one men’s side in 2023 and made it all the way to the grand final in 2024.
After picking up three division two premierships in the last four seasons, Coolum pushed into A-grade in 2023 where they finished sixth in an eight team competition.
Then, just 12 months later, they finished as the Sunshine Coast A-grade minor premiers thanks to a last round victory over Noosa.
The Colts fell agonisingly short in the grand final, a four point defeat to Beerwah, but will no doubt be looking to improve in 2025.
WESTERN LIONS
Rugby League Townsville and District
The Lions had a stunning resurgence this year that had to be witnessed to be believed.
After finishing dead last in 2023, NRL star Valentine Holmes’ junior club turned the tide on its fortunes with an incredible return to form to earn a place in the grand final.
The recruitment of a genuine champion in the form of five-eighth Addo Waianga accelerated the Lions’ resurrection while a number of promising local juniors like Tavita Penaia took the next step in their development.
TOWNIES MOUNT ISA
Mount Isa Rugby League
Townies dominated Mount Isa’s three-team competition in 2024, finishing the regular season with just two losses before beating Wanderers 30-6 in the grand final.
The A-grade competition’s three top tryscorers all came from Townies: centre Jeremy Jones (11), five-eighth Harlem Russell (8) and hard-running prop Joel Turaga (7).
The side had the best attack and defence in this year’s Mount Isa competition, setting the benchmark for the entire season.
SOUTHERN SUBURBS TIGERS
Toowoomba Junior Rugby League
Alongside Valleys Roosters, the Tigers were the form junior club.
Six teams from both clubs featured in grand finals across the 10 competitive junior divisions.
Both teams finished with eight trophies each but Souths fared slightly better when it mattered most.
As well as claiming three minor premierships the Tigers won five of the six grand finals they played in.
MACKAY BROTHERS
Rugby League Mackay and District
Brothers were an unstoppable machine in the A-grade women’s competition in Mackay, going through the home and away season undefeated with a 166-point differential from just eight games.
They showcased their dominance in the grand final, winning 20-0, with the likes of Imogen Healy, Madi Westecott and more featuring prominently.
While they weren’t able to achieve the ultimate glory in A-grade men, Brothers still proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, losing just one game for the entire home and away season.
Led by the likes of centre Jayden Batchelor and RLMD player of the year Brad Campbell, Brothers came within just a couple of points of capping off a great season with the crowning achievement of a premiership.
IVANHOE KNIGHTS
Far North Queensland Rugby League
The Knights struggled at the start of the season but ultimately found their form when they needed it most, becoming one of the league’s powerhouse clubs by handing Brothers their only loss of the season and eventually finishing second and falling just shy in the grand final.
GATTON HAWKS
Toowoomba Rugby League
Beaten 24-20 by a very impressive Highfields Eagles in the grand final, Gatton missed out on what would’ve been a fourth straight TRL Women’s premiership.
Since women’s rugby league was introduced in 2021 Gatton have claimed the minor premiership and premiership double every year before this season.
The Hawks finished one point ahead of Eagles in the regular season and advanced straight to the decider by beating the same team in week one of finals.
Highfields had their revenge in the final and deserve praise for the performance this season, but the Hawks proved why they remain the competition benchmark.
ROCKHAMPTON BROTHERS
Rockhampton District Rugby League
Brothers finished with an impressive 9-1-1 record in A-grade but the top-two finish did not translate to finals success, losing two of three matches to miss out on a grand final berth.
Brothers had the men’s competition’s best defence, conceding slightly less than 17 points per game while prolific winger Anthon Ngunz led the way in Rockhampton with a league-leading 22 tries.
Brothers’ women were also bundled out of contention before the big dance, however the club’s reserve grade side tasted glory with a thrilling 18-14 comeback victory over Yeppoon when Sam Granville – the older brother of Cowboys legend Jake – scored the only second-half try to snatch the win.
CHARTERS TOWERS MINERS
Rugby League Townsville and District
The Miners carried their 2023 form into this year’s competition, finishing third overall with 10 wins before knocking reigning premiers Brothers out in the first week of finals.
Charters Towers is in the midst of a generational changing of the guard and the future looks bright for the youthful side with promising club juniors more than handling the step up to A-grade.
After racing out to an early lead in the preliminary final, eventual premiers Souths Bulls ran the Miners down with an emphatic second-half performance to storm into the decider.
MACKAY MAGPIES
Rugby League Mackay and District
The Magpies were a force to be reckoned with across the ranks of the RLMD, winning the under-20 men’s premiership and making the grand final of the A-grade women’s competition.
They fell just short of a grand final berth despite a very strong season all-round in the A-grade men’s competition.
The only side capable of beating Brothers in the home and away season, the Magpies also featured the most prolific try scorer in the competition in Maika Tudravu.
CAIRNS BROTHERS
Far North Queensland Rugby League
The Brothers made history this season by claiming their third senior premiership in a row, ultimately becoming the best team in the Far North Queensland Rugby League competition in history. Brothers only lost one game all season.
YEPPOON SEAGULLS
Rockhampton District Rugby League
The Seagulls made the grand final in both A-grade and reserve grade, however Yeppoon did not field a senior women’s team in 2024.
While the team was beaten in both deciders, the fact that they were even there was testament to the club’s resilience and perseverance.
Yeppoon finished fifth in A-grade before treading an unlikely path to the big dance that included three sudden death victories before ultimately falling at the last hurdle to competition frontrunners Emu Park.
The reggies’ march to the final mirrored the A-grade men, winning three knockout fixtures before being defeated in the grand final.
Originally published as HAVE YOUR SAY: The best rugby league clubs in regional Queensland
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