Coolum Colts against Beerwah Bulldogs in 2024 Sunshine Coast A-Grade grand final

Senior rugby league coaches have broken down their grand final match-ups, lead-in form and key players as they battle it out to be crowned 2024 Sunshine Coast champions. See what they had to say.

Coolum Colts head coach Matt Smith and Beerwah Bulldogs head coach Brett Hill. Pictures: Patrick Woods.

The battle for major silverware has arrived with eight teams across four divisions taking part in this weekend’s blockbuster Sunshine Coast senior rugby league grand finals.

The Beerwah Bulldogs, Coolum Colts, Caloundra Sharks, Mary Valley Stags and Caboolture Snakes will take part in the action from 10.30am on Sunday, September 15 at the Sunshine Coast Stadium.

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

2024 A-GRADE GRAND FINAL (COOLUM vs BEERWAH)

Mouthwatering.

There’s really no other way to describe this weekend’s grand final with both teams eager to put it all on the line for premiership glory.

The Colts stormed home during the regular season, losing just one match (to Beerwah) in the final seven rounds before being crowned minor premiers thanks to a heroic 23-22 win at home against Noosa.

Coolum Colts player Sam Elara in action. Picture: Cordelia Turner.

The top two sides met again the following week for the major semi final where Coolum, who are only in their second ever season in the top grade, claimed a 10-4 result to secure their spot in the grand final.

On the other side of the draw, the Bulldogs have had a rollercoaster end to the year as they finished in third spot before suffering a 32-6 defeat to Noosa in the qualifying final.

The Bulldogs turned it around with a tight 24-22 win over Maroochydore in the minor semi final before putting the final dagger into Noosa’s heartbreaking season with a turnaround 16-14 win in the preliminary final.

Beerwah Bulldogs celebrate winning the 2023 Sunshine Coast A-grade title. Picture: Nicola Anne Photography

Now the 2023 premiers make their return to the big dance, 85 days since the two sides last played each other.

Both meetings this season have been swung by home field advantage with Coolum claiming a 30-16 victory in round two followed by a 20-12 win for Beerwah in round 11.

Head coaches Matt Smith (Coolum) and Brett Hill (Beerwah) gave their thoughts on who would end up as 2024 premiers.

Q: How has your form been leading in?

Smith: “We’ve worked really hard on our defence, we leaked a lot of points towards the end of the season. We got a little bit complacent thinking games would come to us and letting some sides get away from us resulting in us working extra hard to chase them down. We spoke about playing every week like a grand final and really working hard on our defence which ultimately wins you games. In the two finals matches we’ve played our defence was the difference.”Ev

Hill: “About four weeks ago we had four different blokes suspended so to be honest we didn’t give ourselves much of a chance. We’ve had to put together a side from there and the performances have been really gutsy. We probably shouldn’t be here but we are.”

Q: What are you expecting from the opposition?

Smith: “Every time you play Beerwah you expect a big, tough side that you can’t let get on top of you. You have to match it with them and hopefully grind out a win. A grand final is no different, we’ll just be looking to play a simple brand of footy and turn them around where we can. Hopefully we can fatigue them and chip away with points in each half.”

Hill: “We’ve split the points with them and we know they’ve got a couple of good strike players. It’ll be their first grand final so hopefully the pressure is on them instead of us. We got the monkey off the back last year so we’ll just be trying to silence their strike players as much as we can.”

Q: What areas of the match do you think will be key?

Smith: “They’ve got some quality players, some guys that have been there and done it especially last year. We’ve got some senior players but have also got some young guys that haven't played a lot of finals footy so we’ll be relying on those experienced guys to get everyone up for the contest. I look at our backline to really put its foot forward in this game. We’ve got some quality outside backs that if our forwards can lay a good foundation we’ll see our attack perform out wide.”

Hill: “Over the last few weeks we've really grafted and it’s been a great team effort. I know that sounds boring but it really has been the overall effort instead of one or two guys standing out. Everyone’s lifted that extra bit and hopefully we can carry that into the last game of the year.”

Q: What’s the feeling among the group and what’s your final message?

Smith: “The boys are super keen. They’re all itching to get out there and play but we’ve still got training sessions and a team get together on Saturday to get through. It’s a massive occasion for the club obviously, only our second ever year in A-grade and we’re through to a grand final so we’ve got to spread that word to the boys but also ensure that it doesn’t get to them. It’ll be a big day but our focus is on kick-off and what we need to do.”

Hill: “We’re on top of the world but we’ve also got a lot of wounded players. We’re not as stressed as last year so let’s just be positive and enjoy the week. We want to have some fun because we didn’t expect to be here and it’s a bonus in itself.”