Sunshine Coast Gympie rugby league 2023 grand finals preview

Senior rugby league coaches have broken down their grand final match-ups, players to watch and key tactics as they battle it out to be crowned 2023 Sunshine Coast champions.

Eddie Franklin

@eddiefranklin47

8 min read

September 7, 2023 - 9:42AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Sunshine Coast Rugby League 2023 finals. Pictures: Richo Jarman, Facebook, Phil Bradeley Photography.

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The battle for major silverware has arrived with 10 teams across five divisions taking part in this weekend’s blockbuster Sunshine Coast senior rugby league grand finals.

The Beerwah Bulldogs, Kawana Dolphins, Caboolture Snakes, Bribie Island Warrigals, Stanley River Wolves, Caloundra Sharks and Palmwoods Devils will take part in the action from 11am on Saturday, September 9 at the Sunshine Coast Stadium.

Sunshine Coast Gympie Rugby League president Jodie Price said she was proud of how the season had gone.

“It’s been another really successful season with a number of great things happen,” Price said.

“I think Coolum coming into the A-grade competition for the first time was a highlight plus Maroochydore sadly pulling out and then re-entering the top division and reaching the semi finals was great to see.

“At a representative level too our women’s team took out the 47th Battalion competition for the first time ever and we’re actually waiting to hear back at the moment on our expression of interest, in conjunction with the Sunshine Coast Falcons, for a women’s BMB Queensland Cup side.”

Price said she was excited for this weekend's matches and hoped to see a good turnout.

“It’s very exciting and it’s great to see a real mix of teams and clubs across the different divisions which shows how every club is growing and succeeding,” she said.

“I’m wishing everyone a great weekend, hopefully there’s a good crowd too as it will most likely be the last grand final we host at the Sunshine Coast Stadium for a few years due to the planned redevelopments.”

After 11 rounds we revealed the first grade men’s and women’s leading players, season predictions and overall grading.

Read below to find out what each coach had to say ahead of their do-or-die match-ups.

Men’s A-Grade (Beerwah vs Kawana)

Beerwah will meet Kawana in the 2023 Sunshine Coast rugby league A-grade grand final. Pictures: Facebook and Richo Jarman.

Beerwah are back again after tasting defeat in 2022 and after progressing through the entire season undefeated it’s the grand final to lose.

The Bulldogs have recorded 18 wins and zero losses this season and finished the regular season 26 points ahead of second placed Kawana.

The men in blue and white led from the front all season with Sam Fullerton finishing on top of the try scoring leaderboard with 15 and Matt Kidd taking out top spot for most points with 170.

The Dolphins come into the grand final with 11 wins, one draw and six losses this season.

Kawana were able to hold off 2022 premiers Maroochydore in the preliminary final 20-18 and have held their own in three out of the four matches against Beerwah this season.

Head coaches Brett Hill (Beerwah Bulldogs) and Andrew Hinson (Kawana Dolphins) gave their thoughts on who would end up as 2023 premiers.

Q: What have been your takeaways from the earlier matches this season?

Hill: “They’ve definitely gotten stronger every time we’ve played them and they’re definitely not far from us. We’re giving them the respect they deserve that’s for sure.”

Hinson: “They’re a very good outfit and definitely look to drag you down in the trenches and keep you there so that you’ve got to work hard to stay with them. We’ve played them in the presidents cup and three times during the regular season and other than the round two game they’ve all been tight clashes. We then had the semi-final out at Beerwah a few weeks ago which was a pretty tough ask going out to a pretty hostile crowd. It’s a first versus second matchup which is cool. We’ve been the best two teams all year so it should be a really good game with two evenly matched teams giving it a good crack.”

Beerwah Bulldogs head coach Brett Hill and Kawana Dolphins head coach Andrew Hinson.

Q: Is there an area of the match that the game will be won or lost or prove as the difference?

Hill: “From the games we’ve played against them a lot has had to do with the ball handling errors. Whoever has the ball can score and can be the dominant side so I know it’s cliche but whoever controls the ball better will win the game.”

Hinson: “They’ve got a very big forward pack that just rolls through the middle so we definitely have to win that battle which would go a long way in getting some results. That’s been our focus and that’s where I think the game will be won or lost.”

Q: Which players, from both teams, are you expecting to have a big game?

Hill: “It’s hard to pinpoint anyone from their side, we’re not too sure who they’re going to get back from the Falcons and will have to wait until Thursday to work that out. We’re just working as a whole mate to be honest. I think if everyone does their job as they have all season we should be okay.”

Hinson: “Our front rowers Ryan Jeffery, Ethan Saisoa’a and Kaleb Sutton off the bench will have a big impact for us. Then we’re also probably looking for a bit of smartness around the halves area. They’ve got Matty Kidd who is quite a smart player so we need our six and seven to be taking the right options at the right times. If we’re creating opportunities we’ve got to take them as I don’t think we’ll have too many given Beerwah are a good defensive team.”

The Beerwah Bulldogs will play the Kawana Dolphins in the 2023 Sunshine Coast A-grade grand final. Pictures: Facebook and Richo Jarman.

Q: What’s the feeling like among the playing group?

Hill: “The boys are super keen. I think if you compare it to this time last year we only trained for about 30 minutes just from the fact we had no troops. This year we’re going in with a totally different attitude and we’re 95 per cent fit so there’s definitely a buzz in the air.”

Hinson: “It’s a really good feeling at the moment at the club. We’ve got three grades in the grand finals so the feeling is really good and something we’ve been aiming for all year. It’s a huge accomplishment, we’ll have a few light training runs now and have our customary grand final photos so the week is going to be nice and casual. There’s no last minute changes or anything big we have to do now, it’s more about consolidation and making sure the boys are prepped and ready to go.”

Open Women (Caboolture vs Kawana)

Caboolture will play Kawana in the 2023 Open women's Sunshine Coast rugby league grand final. Pictures: Facebook and Richo Jarman.

Only two points separated these two teams on the table at the end of the regular season with both winning 13 games and losing one this season.

An extra bye week from Caboolture and a drawn match from Kawana was the difference and the teams also finished the season with the competitions two best for and against records.

The Snakes, who finished as minor premiers, were led by Latisha Hoek and Amy Bird who finished first and second respectively on the points scoring leaderboard.

Kawana’s Ellie Williamson finished in third spot and also scored the most tries (9) for her side this season.

The sides have met four times this season which has resulted in a 28-28 draw, a 28-13 win for Kawana in the Presidents Cup, a 30-14 win and a 18-10 win in favour of Caboolture.

Head coaches Raymond Totoro (Caboolture Snakes) and Geoff Wheeler (Kawana Dolphins) gave their thoughts on who would end up as 2023 premiers.

Q: What have been your takeaways from the earlier matches this season?

Totoro: “Kawana are a very strong side and they’ve always stuck it to us. If anything they played a little bit better than us in the game that we drew and obviously in the presidents cup when they won. We were lucky to get away with some wins later on in the season but they’ve been in good form all year and I think they’d probably have to go in as favourites. Even though we won the minor premiership and just beat them in the semi final they’ve been very strong all year.”

Wheeler: “Caboolture have gotten stronger and stronger every time we’ve played them and we’re actually getting back to our strongest team now. It’ll be a really good clash, we beat them in the presidents cup and drew earlier in the year when we had a good side and then the other games when they beat us we were a bit depleted but they’ve all been good matches. It’s a pretty even contest I think as they’re a good side.”

Caboolture Snakes women's players Latisha Hoek, Matyniah Fullagar and Lenniece Wright.

Q: Which area will the game be won or lost or what will be the difference?

Totoro: “If our forwards can get us going forward it’s going to make a difference and a lot easier for us. That’s like any game really because it allows your backs to have more time and more space in attack.”

Wheeler: “The bottom line is that we have to be able to match them in the forwards. We’ve got a lot of our good forwards back so we’ll be a lot stronger than when we played them last time. That’s the key to their attack and defence as they’re a very big and powerful side.”

Q: Which players, from both teams, are you expecting to have a big game?

Totoro: “The key to our side is our forwards getting a good roll on and then our halves playing the smart option. Kawana have really good strike second-rowers and centres on the edges so we’ve got to be tight in defence. They’re a really well coached side as well so we’ve just got to be on our game and hopefully we can sneak away with a win.”

Wheeler: “We have to keep an eye on their halfback, Naomi Henry. Caboolture are a big side right across the field and Henry directs the team around. For us we’ve got Maarire Barnett, Tyla Mitchell and I’ve been happy with Krystal Must and Brooke Matheson who are all tough forwards. We’ve also got some younger players in Takoda Thompson, Sienna Wheeler and Marissa Nicholson who we know can step up. Our halves in Brooke Kingdom and Suvanaha Connors plus our fullback Laura Barklimore will also be strong no doubt.”

Kawana Dolphins players in action Suvanaha Connors, Brooke Kingdom and Tyla Mitchell. Pictures: Richo Jarman.

Q: What’s the feeling like among the playing group?

Totoro: “We had our presentation the other week before the primary final and a lot of the girls had a mix of nerves and excitement. A lot of them haven't played in a grand final before so I’ve got to try and keep them contained but also get them to the right place so they’re ready to peak when that first whistle goes.”

Wheeler: “We played really well last week so the feeling and the vibe is really positive at the moment. All three trophies are on offer now and that’s been the aim of everyone all year. We’re really focused on that and we’re pretty keen that we can now put all our eggs in one basket this weekend.”