Top 12 Sunshine Coast sporting teams of 2022

After a mammoth vote between the Sunshine Coast's top 12 amateur sporting teams, across six different codes, the region's best of 2022 has been uncovered.

Maroochydore Swans celebrate their 2022 grand final victory. Picture: Nicola Anne Photography

Several Sunshine Coast senior and school sporting teams continued to dominate the regional, South East Queensland and state sporting world in 2022.

From first time silverware winners to back-to-back champions, this year’s sports seasons have provided plenty of highlights on the Sunshine Coast.

We uncovered our top 12 from the 2022 season with the Maroochydore Swans A-grade team polling the most votes with 21 per cent.

The Swans finished ahead of Tewantin-Noosa Cricket Club's Division 1 Men's team (15 per cent), with the USC Barbarians Men's A-grade side and Sunshine Coast U18s schoolboys rugby union team tied in third (12 per cent).

Maroochydore Swans A-grade captain Bart Hold said his side's 2022 premiership victory over the Beerwah Bulldogs was a fitting tribute to former Swans player Dale Best who died after collapsing in a trial match early last year. 

"It was an unbelievable year especially because we had a good mate in Dale Best pass away last season," he said.

"Dale's passing was a big driving force for us all so to come back after losing the 2021 final and win it all was great.

"It meant alot to us boys and plenty of people at the club and in the club's 50th year it was really special."

Hold has also been announced as the 2023 A-grade head coach with Dennis Moore taking up a coaching director's role.

"I've been at Maroochydore a long time, and have been lucky enough to win three A-grade competitions," he said.

"I was going to take the year off but when they asked I figured why not give the coaching side of things a red hot crack so am looking forward to it."

See the full list of standout teams below!

12. USC Rip City (NBL1 North)

USC Rip City. Picture: Jack Riddiford.

Rip City finished the regular season in third place with 13 wins and six losses before pushing on to the NBL1 North grand final.

The green army were bidding to become the first side from the region to win Queensland’s premier basketball competition.

Sadly, the league heavyweights Gold Coast Rollers proved too strong for USC winning the championship series 2-0.

Star man Kouat Noi finished the season as the league's Most Valuable Player thanks to averages of 25.88 points (second most in the league), 13 rebounds, 1.65 assists and 1.41 steals in his 13 games.

11. Maroochydore Swans FC (FQPL3 Women’s)

Maroochydore Swans FQPL3 women's champions.

The Swans definitely did it the hard way but it helped their 2022 premiership win taste even sweeter after the final whistle.

After finishing third in the regular season, Maroochydore beat fourth place Caloundra in the first round of finals before knocking off first placed Woombye on penalties in the semi final.

The win meant they played the Sunshine Coast Fire FC in the grand final and it took until the 116 minute mark for the girls in blue to break the deadlock.

Attacking weapon Danae Pryce also picked up the league’s player of the year award.

10. Maroochydore Swans Rugby League (SCGRL Division 1)

Maroochydore Swans celebrate their 2022 grand final victory. Picture: Nicola Anne Photography

In their 50th season, the Swans’ fairytale A-grade premiership was nothing short of special.

Finishing the regular season with one loss, two draws and 14 wins the Swans were on a mission to make amends for their 2021 grand final loss and honour former Swans player Dale Best who died after collapsing in a trial match early last year.

The men in green, white and black proved too strong for the Beerwah Bulldogs in the grand final, coming away as 26-16 winners.

The season was filled with plenty of individual award winners as head coach Dennis Moore picked up the league’s coach of the year, John McLaughlin for highest points scorer and Riley Moore for leading try scorer.

9. Sunshine Coast Schoolboy U18s Rugby Union (Qld Schools State Championships)

Sunshine Coast Regional Schoolboys celebrate winning the Queensland Rugby Union State Championships. Picture: Kev Nagle Photography.

To win a statewide tournament is never easy but the under-18s Sunshine Coast schoolboy rugby union team managed just that.

The team made up of students from Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Mountain Creek State High School, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, St John’s College, St Andrew’s Anglican College, St Columban’s College and Siena Catholic College claimed victory at the Queensland Rugby Union Schools State Championships after a 14-7 win over Met East in the grand final.

From their victory a further 11 players were selected in Queensland representative teams making the coaching staff of Rob Charlton, Eric Smyth and Brendan Macaulay very proud.

“It’s always good as a coach when you can go into bat for your players and they play some really good footy,” Mr Smyth said.

“I’m really proud of all our players especially for those who put their best foot forward for selection and I think there was another three or four guys that just missed out.”

8. Nambour Toads Rugby Union (Sunshine Coast Senior Women)

Nambour Toads women's team celebrate their 2022 grand final victory. Picture: Rachel Wright Images

In only their second year in the competition, Nambour again rose above expectations to finish the regular season as undefeated minor premiers and grand final champions.

The girls in red did suffer a scare in the opening finals round with a loss to the Noosa Dolphins but overcame that initial hurdle to get the better of them with a 5-0 win in the grand final.

Nambour head coach Luke Zeremes said it was a huge accomplishment.

“Extremely happy with how the season has unfolded, the way the girls have performed and committed this season and very proud of what we have been able to achieve in the two years,” he said.

“We had a lot of people doubting our nomination last year when we decided to enter the competition as people told us we were too young, too small and needed to recruit bigger and better players but we’ve stayed true to what we wanted to achieve.”

The Toads were proudly represented at the South Queensland Championships earlier this year with seven players picked in the Sunshine Coast Stingrays team.

The club also celebrated victory in the third division cup, their first piece of silverware in a senior men’s competition for a number of years.

7. Sunshine Coast Grammar School (1st XV schools rugby union)

Sunshine Coast Grammar 1st XV winners.

With the appointment of former All Blacks winger Hosea Gear as head coach and rising senior Queensland talents of Finn Prass, Luke Aiken and Joe Wikaria among the squad, some could say the writing was already on the wall.

After producing the likes of Wallabies’ halfback Tate McDermott, Melbourne Rebels’ fly half Carter Gordon and junior Wallabies Louis Werchon and Mason Gordon the prestigious team were aiming to secure their 10th Division 1 Garth Hunt Shield in the last 11 years.

Grammar met Siena Catholic College in the grand final beating them 38 to 3.

They will again be heavyweights in the 2023 season with Gear naming which junior players are ones to keep an eye on.

6. Hinterland Blues AFC (QFA Division Two North)

Hinterland Blues Senior Men's team crowned 2022 premiers of the QFA Division Two Competition. Picture: SportsDayPhotography

It was something of a Cinderella story for the Blues in 2022 with goalkicking maestro Jacob Knight helping lift his team to promotion after bagging more than 100 goals for the season on the way to an undefeated premiership title.

Knight played 18 games for the Blues, kicking a whopping 109 goals and finishing in the best player votes on 12 occasions.

Hinterland Blues president Bruce Bell said to finish the year winning the premiership and gaining promotion into QFA Division One competition was the perfect result after a grand final loss in 2021.

“It was a satisfying end to the season that’s been a culmination of four years of work and effort and now we roll into our next phase of growth and planning,” he said.

“We’ve got a football team that is hungry to be challenged and so stepping up means the existing players we’ve got have to take that next step and it also means we can look at recruiting more talent at the club as well.”

5. Caloundra Sharks Rugby League (SCGRL Open Women)

Caloundra Sharks 2022 Sunshine Coast rugby league open women's winners. Picture: Phil Bradeley - Sports Photography

After only forming their open women's team in 2021, the Sharks have proved they’re ’no fluke’ after claiming back-to-back premierships.

The black and gold outfit claimed the minor premiership of the seven-team competition with 13 wins and two losses in the regular season.

Although a grand final victory almost looked lost after the Sharks found themselves down 16-0 before flipping a switch to win the match 20-16 against Kawana.

4. USC Barbarians (Sunshine Coast A-grade rugby union)

USC Barbarians claim the 2022 A-grade Sunshine Coast rugby union title.

The Barbarians went into the season as defending champions and looked to be the competition heavyweights once again after they finished the regular season with 14 wins and just one loss.

With firepower in both forwards and backs, head coach Brad Tronc showed why his men in green were the ones to beat, eventually claiming a 14-6 win over the Maroochydore Swans in the grand final.

USC Barbarians captain Luke Kimber also picked up the A-Grade best and fairest award for the second year running.

3. Noosa Tigers AFC (QFAW Div 2)

Noosa Tigers were the 2022 QFAW Division 2 women's winners.

The Noosa Tigers senior women’s team made it a hat-trick in 2022 with a convincing 11.11.77-4.3.27 win over Pine Rivers in the division two competition.

Both teams finished the regular season tied on points with 12 wins, one loss and one draw each.

Tigers head coach and club legend Peter Trompf, who coached the side to their first premiership in 2020 before he was the team runner in 2021, had four sisters and a wife in the team.

2. Maroochydore Swans FC (FQPL3 Men’s)

Maroochydore Swans claimed the FQPL3 premiership in 2022.

It was as close as you can get to a perfect season for Maroochydore as the men in blue suffered their first and only loss of the season to Kawana in week one of finals before they met again in the grand final.

The Swans proved too good in the final beating the 2021 premiers Kawana 2-1.

Head coach Warren Crickmore also helped guide the squad to promotion to the FQPL2 league after their 8–1 win over Willowburn FC.

Striker Michael Holden was awarded the FQPL3 player of the year with goalkeeper Denver Crickmore winning goalkeeper of the year.

1. Tewantin-Noosa Cricket Club (Sunshine Coast Division 1)

Champions of the 2021/22 Sunshine Coast division 1 cricket season, Tewantin-Noosa.

Tewantin-Noosa were just all class in the 2021/22 season and well earned winners of our pick for the Sunshine Coast sporting team of the year.

The men in maroon dominated all three formats of T20, limited overs and two-day matches as they finished the overall season with 21 wins, three draws and zero losses.

The efforts on the field helped many mourning the loss of former Tewantin-Noosa player and coach, Michael Sobey who sadly passed away on February 23.

Top-string performances from Lewis Waugh, Cody Pyne, Ben Laughlin, Dom Taylor and Tom Stewart helped them earn a place in the 2021/22 Sunshine Coast cricket team of the season.

Originally published as Top 12 Sunshine Coast sporting teams of 2022