TRL A-grade squads gear up for another massive season of action

SEASON PREVIEW: With the 2024 TRL Hutchinson Builders A-grade season kicking off we’re running the rule over every team competing for one of QLD country footy’s most coveted titles.

The Dalby Diehards celebrate their victory over Valleys in the TRL 2023 grand final.

With the A-grade premiership taking pride of place in their trophy cabinet, Dalby Diehards head into the 2024 season with a target on their backs.

The Diehards 20-14 defeat of Valleys marked their first premiership win since 2017 and their premiership defence will be lead by a ‘new’ face.

James Galligan has taken hold of the coaching reins at Dalby.

Galligan is no stranger to the club having volunteered as an assistant Diehards coach in the past.

Heading into the season Galligan said it will be business as usual despite their position as defending premiers.

“I don’t think they (the players) are feeling any added pressure,” he said.

“One of the things that has impressed me the most so far about this group is their attitude.

“They all really want to be here, they’re working really hard, they’re excited about the season and everyone is on the same page.

“Looking at this group I think we’re are going to play some really exciting footy as well.”

The lure of being part of something special at the Diehards also attracted Galligan to the coaching role.

The Valleys Roosters junior and long term Dalby resident said the club’s new direction is captivating.

“I really like what the senior club has been doing recently … building the connection with Dalby’s juniors,” Galligan said.

“The Devils to Diehards initiative is impressive.

“It’s all about building the pathway from juniors to seniors.

“The clubs want to see juniors working through that pathway – having the A-grade jersey mean something special to our junior when they make their debut.

“We’re already seeing the benefits with more young players staying here (Dalby) and hopefully we see a lot more.”

Coach: James Galligan

Captain: Dylan Taylor

Squad: Chris Woodbridge, Travis Babbington, Mike Gaur, Ryan Welsh, Hunter James, Dylan Taylor, Josh Chappell, Xavier Manley, Danny Wassell, Pat O’Callaghan, Sam Fermor, Alex Dunneman, Blake Mara, Deasharn Hebden Salase, Bailey Rathmell, Toby Harms, Lucien King-Togia

Prediction: Top 3

Contenders? Yes. The Diehards have strengthened and any side with the electric and exciting Chris Woodbridge on the field is a threat.

Southern Suburbs

The Tigers started 2023 in red hot form - winning five of their first seven games and scoring nearly 30 points a game.

Their start to the season had plenty of fans talking but the second half of the year was a more dour affair and the Tigers finished with just the eight wins.

Points were rarely the problem for Souths who scored 464 in 2023, but they also conceded 481.

Having watched plenty of games last season, new Tigers coach Brendan Wilson said the focus has been on conditioning and discipline in pre-season.

“The boys have plenty of points in them ... they have for a few seasons now,” Wilson said.

“There were a few games last season where we scored 30 or so and won but let in 20 or more and others when they lost after scoring a lot as well.

“Defence has been a big focus in the pre-season, it’s one area we can improve on.

“We need to be more disciplined - it’s not just about giving away less penalties though.

“It’s also about keeping our structures, completing our sets and keeping the ball out of the opposition’s hands as well.”

The Tigers have also been hard at work on their conditioning this year and Wilson is expecting a solid all-round performance from his squad.

“One of the issues last season was they (the Tigers) were in it (the game) for a good 50 minutes of the game,” Wilson said.

“We need to play a good 80. It’s been a hard pre-season with a lot of conditioning work and some core skills stuff as well.

“The boys are fit and ready to go now.

“The good thing is a lot of them have been in it for a while and have really matured over the years so we won’t be reliant on particular players.”

Coach: Brendan Wilson

Captain: Luke Maiden and Ben Cook

Squad: Alister Cameron, Angus Hearn, Angus Wright, Anisi Finau, Ashley Duncan, Ben Atkins, Ben Cooke, Braith Ashurst, Callum Ward, Cameron Matheson, Damian Mills, Harry Burns, Hayden Flute, Jacob Lingwoodock, Joe Alberts, Kyle Jarvis, Kyle Petersen, Lachlan Taylor, Les Hartvisten, Luke Maiden, Mitch Riley, Mitchell Matheson, Mitchell Murphy, Riley Wilson, Russell Fletcher, Shaun Elliot, Wally Pegler, Warren Draper, Zac Alberts

Prediction: Mid table

Contenders: If the Tigers can tighten up their defence and be a little more consistent over the season they will be one of the competition’s biggest improvers. They showed plenty of promise last year but narrowly missed out on a finals spot. Expect them to be there or there abouts when it comes to finals footy in 2024.

Ash Taylor (Pictured playing for the Gold Coast Titans in 2018) will be a major boost for Brothers this year.

Brothers

After an impressive NRL career where he played more than 100 games, Ash Taylor has made his long-awaited return to his junior club Brothers for 2024.

Taylor will be the captain and coach this season after he coached Newtown in 2023 where he played a limited amount of games later in the season.

The former star halfback was excited to be back leading the club where he developed as a junior.

“It has been good, obviously it is a bit of a weird feeling being back but so far so good,” he said.

Brothers head into this season in the midst of a rebuild and Taylor said there has been a major focus on fitness to help his side remain competitive for as long as possible.

“We just identified we wanted to be fit so we’ve done a lot of fitness and it has all come along nicely,” he said

“I think just being competitive is our goal, I just want us to compete and do the best we can.

“We want to be fit enough to handle the game and skilful enough to perform.”

This will be Taylor’s first full season in action since his retirement from the NRL and he is looking forward to coaching the side while on the field.

“I will be playing as much as I can being my first full season back playing footy so we will see how the body goes,” he said.

“It is good to be able to teach some of our current players coming through and hopefully one day it gets to a stage where I don’t have to play and the boys know the game as much as I do.”

Since returning to the TRL last year, Taylor has cherished the opportunity to give back to the game and help the future stars of his hometown take their game to the next level.

“It has been good, been challenging as well, no knows how much time you have to sacrifice for it but I have enjoyed it and enjoyed giving back to the community,” he said.

Coach: Ash Taylor

Captain: Ash Taylor

Squad: Yet to be confirmed

Prediction: Bottom 5

Contenders? After an impressive off-season, Brothers will definitely be far more competitive than they were in 2023 where they picked up just the one win. They will likely move up from their wooden spoon finish last year and will be competitive against some of the mid-table sides.

Newtown will be looking to build under new coach Anthony Watt in 2024. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Gatton

The Hawks were one of the form teams throughout 2023.

After thrashing Valleys Roosters 36-4 in the Madsen Rassmussen final midway through the season they looked primed for massive year and some respects they did have a quality season.

Despite Hawks impressive run into the finals it was Roosters who had the last laugh knocking out Gatton in the preliminary.

A new-look Gatton will be out to go one better this season and they have all the pieces in place to do so.

Prediction: Top 5

Contenders? Yes. There is no reason the Hawks can’t make another finals run this season. They have a good mix of old experienced heads and some new players and the Hawks always play good solid footy.

Coach: John Flint

Captain: Luke Self and Ben Haviland

Squad: Kayden Buhse, Cameron Bundock, Nick Short, Blake Appo, Tye Gray, Luke Self, Regan Wilde, Ben Haviland, Tommy Luhrman, Oska Moore, Joel Brett, Lenard Burns, Shannon Hicks, Sione Foueti, Waisea Lavenayasawa, Ollie Bichel, Brenton Lund

Newtown

It is back to the future for Newtown as Anthony Watt has made his return as A-grade coach this season.

It has been a rough few years for the Lions but Watt is confident he can help his side roar.

“It is exciting to be back at Newtown, I was involved with Newtown way back initially as an under-18s player in about 1992,” he said.

“I also came back as a coach in ‘97 and coached on my own in A-grade in ‘06 so I’ve got a bit of history there with Newtown so I am really keen to see the club get back to where it can be.”

With Newtown losing key players in Ash Taylor and Tony Clevin to Brothers in the off-season, Watt said having a strong work ethic was a major focus for the squad during pre-season.
“With the change of the playing roster, we’ve asked the players to buy into a bit of hard work and they have all done that,” he said.

“They’ve all done what was asked of them, I think that if you work hard enough at something then you can strive towards a result.

“I think it is really important for us to improve and be competitive in every game we’re involved in.

“The boys have worked really hard together to try and create some combinations and try and instil that work ethic.”

Another major focus for Watt has been instilling a desire to win within the squad, as they look to add to their five wins over the last three seasons.

“Every coach will tell you that when they coach football sides, they train them to have that desire to win,” Watt said.

“It is important for us to show that we want to be competitive and show that we want to win football games and I think that if we can and a few things fall our way, we can get some really good results this year.”

Watt pinpointed three players who could be game-changers for the Lions.

“Sam Armstrong our fullback, he has had a really good pre-season, Lachlan Watt is back from an injury and he’s worked extremely hard in the pre-season,” Watt said.

“A young fella by the name of Riley Halpin, he’s stuck with the club and he’s worked really hard to cement a position where he wants to play which is in the middle.

“I think that through his hard work he’s been able to do that and I think he’ll have a pretty good year.”

Coach: Anthony Watt

Captain: Riley Halpin

Squad: Sam Armstrong, Killian Klease, Mark James, William James, Jordan Lawson, Will Hauser, Lachlan Watt, Preston McIlrick, Mak Suey, Keelan Clayton, Joey Reis, Richard Murray, Riley Halpin, Wise Nasali, Trent Hill, Cam Moodie.

Prediction: Bottom 3

Contenders? With a new coach and new playing roster, there is a chance Newtown could pick up a few wins throughout the season and avoid the wooden spoon. However, they are still a few years away from being consistently competitive with the mid-table sides.

Travis Waddell for Goondiwindi in the 2021 A-grade grand final. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Goondiwindi

Goondiwindi is set to be a dark horse in the 2024 season as it comes off the back of a strong off-season.

The Boars showed flashes of what they were capable of in 2023 and were an exciting team to watch when they got going but a lack of consistency proved costly.

They finished last season with eight wins, a draw and nine losses but had an impressive points differential of +108.

In terms of what it will take for them to go to the next level, game management will without a doubt be a major focus.

The Boars played in four games which were decided by four points or less but did not come away with a win in any of them - losing three and drawing one.

The return of mercurial talent Michael Hazard is set to provide a major boost for the Boars as they look to return to the heights of their 2021 A-grade premiership.

Hazard is lightning in a bottle and is a game-changer capable of single-handedly taking over a contest.

Goondiwindi also added talented utility Joel Holdsworth, who can play several positions and brings Hostplus Cup and SG Ball experience.

These are just two of several key exciting additions which will make the Boars a tough team for any defence to handle.

Under the guidance of playing-coach Travis Waddell, who is an extremely talented and experienced footballer, the Boars are more than capable of causing a few upsets this season and will definitely be a team to watch.

Coach: Travis Waddell

Captain: Jack Pattie

Squad: Kyle Hazard, Roonie Duncan, Samukie Gaidan, Lewis Mene, Aaron Guligo, Micky Hazard, Jed Kindt, Jack Pattie, Tom Anderson, Tom Davis, Isaiah Conway, Travis Waddell, Levi Freeman, Josh Silcock, John Goodfellow, Callum Skinner

Prediction: Mid table

Contenders? Goondiwindi definitely has the strength to make the top five and it would not be surprising if the Boars made a deep finals run. However, they will need to at their best throughout the entire season to get there with several teams capable of making finals in what should be a thrilling fight for those last couple of places in the top five.

Oakey

The Bears are always a bit of an unknown factor and this season will be no different with a host new faces signing on at Oakey.

On their day they can trouble the big teams but have also be known to fold and be put to the sword at times.

If coach Wes Aumau and captain AJ Ma Chong can get a focused and disciplined out on the field they could scare a few teams this season.

Coach: Wes Aumau

Captain: AJ Ma Chong

Squad: Jake Edwards, Fiti Vaovasa, Jerry Pati, Dylan Diefenbach, Kamuta Siaosi, Cruz Williamson, Preston Alberts, Faletoese Faletoese, AJ Ma Chong, Anzac Mealofa, Kaleb Stanton, Dylan Court, Sala Falelua, Brayden Shilf, Tyren Nicholls, Sam Dowling, Jayden Lee

Prediction: Bottom 5

Contenders? The Bears will likely be among the “also rans” this year, but they will play exciting football and will no doubt produce some passionate performances. However, if they can produce consistently disciplined footy who knows how far they can go.

Hayden Ensbey (pictured playing for the Western Clydesdales Colts) will be a key man for Warwick Cowboys this season. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Warwick

A “settled” Warwick Cowboys outfit are saddled up and ready to kick off their 2024 season.

The Cowboys last pre-season was one of upheaval with coach Col Speed needing to bolster his squad with players moving on late in their preparation for the 2023 season.

This pre-season has been different though with the squad settled and focused on being ready for their round 1 clash with Newtown Lions.

“I’m pretty happy with where we are at,” Speed said.

“It’s been a long pre-season, maybe a little bit too long, but the trials gave us a great opportunity to look at our new players and try some blokes in different positions which is good.”

One of the Cowboys’ primary focuses this pre-season has been on their attack.

The Cowboys were a steely outfit last season.

Hard to break down in defence, they were always willing to grind through games but their attacked suffered at times as result.

“It (defence) is always going to be part of our DNA,” Speed said.

“You need to defend well to win games but it does take it out of you and it came at the expense of our attack sometimes last season.

“We’ve been working on our attacking structures, we want to be more consistent (in attack) and I think this season we will have a few more options up our sleeves in attack.”

Speed said he was expecting big seasons from the likes of Brock Pattie, Nick Chapman and Mitch Wilson but his squad’s overall dynamic would be their biggest strength.

“We identified the areas we needed to recruit in after last season and worked to fill those spots,” Speed said.

“We also wanted to make sure we have good depth, it’s a long season and we want to have competition for spots.

“I think we’ve got the balance just right with a few young blokes coming through and some good experienced players.”

Coach: Colin Speed

Captain: Mitch Wilson

Squad: Nick Chapman, Harry Sullivan, Morgan Byrnes, Patrick Conn, Daniel Conn, Alfred Vite, Joel Tapie, Tom Bell, Mitch Wilson, Jake Speed, Matt Marshall, Clyde Aroga, Mika Turanga Mate, Joseph Vite, Nick Carrie, Brock Pattie, Hayden Ensbey, Caleb Murphy, Damein Beresford, Joey Wagner, Byron Creighton

Prediction: Top 5

Contenders? The Cowboys will be in the finals mix again and eager to improve on their 2023 semi-final exit. With the bulk of their 2023 squad retained they should hit the ground running and if their attack clicks they’ll be hard to beat.

Matt Duggan for Wattles in 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Wattles

Wattles are set to be one of the contenders this year and after a solid pre-season, coach Travis Burns is eager for the season to start this weekend when his side takes on the Oakey Bears.

“We’ve only had a couple of trials, but pretty happy with the squad we’ve got,” Burns said.

“We played a good game against Warwick in the Barrett Shield but it all starts fresh on Saturday, we’ve got Oakey at home so it will be tough.”

Throughout an eventful off-season, the Warriors sent a message of intent with two key signings, including star halfback Matt Duggan.

“We got a few older players back, we got Matt Duggan back and Jackson Green who have been with me for a long time so they will help the side,” Burns said.

“He (Duggan) is one of the best halfbacks in the comp, I believe he’s the best halfback in the comp and he brings that winning culture and he’s been excellent around the boys this pre-season.

“But the concentration like everyone, was getting the boys fit enough for round one and I think we’ve done that.

“Then obviously we will improve as the year goes on but we’ve got to start strong, you can’t be behind the Eight ball after the first few rounds, it would be good to win those first few rounds and sort of cement our spot in that top five early on.

“But it is ging to be tough and every team has got new players and new coaches so it will be interesting to see how everyone goes.”

However, the pre-season hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Wattles, with star centre Austin Jennings suffering an ACL injury in a trial game which will rule him out for the season.

Despite this blow, Burns is confident in his squad to fill the void.

“It is an opportunity for a young fella or a reserve grade to come up and cement their spot in A-grade,” he said.

Coach: Travis Burns

Captain: Ty Gardner

Squad: Jackson Green, Mitch Bourke, Matt Christensen, Craig Donn, Jake Meddleton, Brayden Paix, Matt Duggan, Cooper Tate-Roach, Kai Duggan, Alex Donn, Tyson Stevens, Ty Gardner, Nick Van Der Poel. Thomas Hatch, Jacob Leach, Jacob Mouatt, Aden Suhan, Ryan Stevens, Mitch Duff.

Prediction: Top 3

Contenders: Yes. The addition of Jackson Green and Matt Duggan offsets the blow of losing star centre Austin Jennings. Wattles finished fourth last season with a relatively inexperienced side and the star duo will be difference makers in tight games.

Darcy Carswell will be a key man for Highfields Eagles this season. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Highfields

Steve Haywood is taking charge of the Highfields Eagles A-grade side for the first time this year after a successful run as coach at junior level.

Haywood was at the helm for the Eagles’ back-to-back under-19 premierships in 2022 and 2023 and is excited to make the move to the senior side.

“(I) absolutely love it,” he said

“We bank on the loyalty pathways, I am big on that where the players are all Highfields juniors and I’d reckon there would 90 per cent there.”

Throughout his time coaching in the highly successful Highfields junior system, Haywood has always focused on developing his players into good young men as well as being a strong athlete, which he hopes to continue with the A-grade side.

“These boys they are very good young kids, you coach them not just in football but in life skills,” he said.

“They shake someone’s hand and they are respectable and that is important, so that is what we try and do.”

After a long run of sustained success as a junior coach, Haywood is hopeful to bring that winning culture to the A-grade side.

“Success for me is top three, I always coach top three teams and that is not me being cocky, if you are not aiming for the stars, you’re only going to hit murkiness, so we will just keep fighting,” he said.

“I love coaching top three teams and we will get the right players in the right mixture but it is tough.

“I am up for a big learning curve too but if you don’t go in confident you might as well not be doing it in a semi-professional, competitive sport.”

The Eagles boast a strong all-round side with several players expected to make an impact throughout the course of the season but they were a few players which Haywood highlighted as potential stars to watch in 2024.

“Darcy Carswellis one of our Hostplus Cup players who is still only a 20 year old front rower,” Haywood said.

“He just needs another season of maturing in the A-grade competition but he certainly will be very strong.

“Josh Fanningis back this year, he is one of the co-captains withCory Haywood, they are all good kids who are Highfields boys who want to lead the team, so we have got a very good mixture there.

“Of course we have some other seasoned players like Kyle Betros, Will O’Gradeyand Cooper Bowyer in there as well.”

Coach: Steve Haywood

Captain: Cory Haywood and Josh Fanning

Squad: Josh Fanning, Will O’Gradey, Kyle Betros, Cory Haywood, Josh Quinlan, Cooper Bowyer, Lachlan Thom, Darcy Carswell, Josh Croft, Ted Stewart, Lachlan Fanning, Connor Nicholls, Joe Cleary, Jack Tranberg, Diesel Bergsma

Prediction: Mid table

Contenders? The Eagles should be right in the mix this year and a Top 5 spot isn’t out of the question if a few results go their way.

Pittsworth

Things could have been a lot different for Pittsworth if a small handful of results had gone their way last season.

The Danes caused plenty of headaches for their more fancied rivals in 2023 – beating top four sides Gatton, Dalby and Wattles – but a four point loss to Warwick and two defeats to Souths ultimately cost them a shot at finals footy.

The squad however is not focused on the past but coach James Quinn admits his young players are better for the experience of the last few years.

“We’ve been bringing quite a few young blokes through the grades for a while now and we’re starting to see the benefits of that,” Quinn said.

“A few of those young blokes who have debuted in the last five years probably have 50 or 60 A-grade games under their belts now.

“Couple that with some of our veterans like Tom O’Sullivan and Alex Kahler and we’ve got a really good mix of experience and youth.”

Hard at work in the pre-season Quinn said he was “pretty happy” with how his team is positioned heading into round 1.

The Danes have spent a lot more time with the “ball in hand” this year according to the coach.

“I’m pretty happy with where we are,” he said.

“We’re probably a little bit ahead of where we wanted to be at the end of pre-season.

“We did not have to spend as much time on conditioning this year – we’ve spent a lot more time with the ball in hand.

“Hopefully that puts us in a better position this year.

“Our completions were pretty terrible at times last year – we definitely need to be a lot more disciplined in attack and we want to lift our defence as well.”

Heading into a round 1 clash with defending premiers Dalby, Quinn said the club’s sole focus is on their own game.

“We’re not looking at Dalby at all – we can’t afford to be,” he said.

Coach: James Quinn

Captain: Tom O’Sullivan, Alex Kahler

Squad: Noel Bartman, Josh Biscoe, Dom Briggs, Kyle Brose, Blake Cullen, Cody Evans, Ben Forster, Jordan Fraser-Bellette, Jed Garratt, Scott Hunter, Laurie Jocumsen, Alex Kahler, Zac Kahler, Josh Lee, Jacob Little, Darby Manktelow, Cameron Millar, Nick Nairn, Jordan O’Shea, Tom O’Sullivan, Matt Reynolds, Liam Ruhle, Liam Short, Kade Warren, Blair Wright

Prediction: Top 5

Contenders? The Danes showed they could match it with the competition heavyweights last year – expect more of the same this time around.

Cory McGrady for Valleys Roosters in 2019.

Valleys

After falling to Dalby in last year’s grand final, Valleys have bolstered their team ahead of this season and it is premiership or bust for the Roosters as they look to rule the roost in 2024.

“Obviously the goal is to try and win the comp,” Valleys co-coach Matthew Schulze said.

Valleys boasted an incredibly deep squad in 2023 as they made the under-19s, Reserve grade and A-grade grand finals.

In terms of the A-grade side, they are sure to be the benchmark of the competition again as they will field a fairly similar team this year but with some key additions.

“There’s been more of an exodus in the Reserve grade side more than anything, the A-grade side is pretty similar to last year,” Schulze said.

“We’re really excited to have Cory McGrady and Brock Diment back from the Clydesdales. “They are really good players and I’m excited to see what they can do.”

Along with the Clydesdales duo, Domenic Whittingham and Hugh Sedger are players who Schulze expects to provide a major boost to the squad.

The Roosters were the form team in the competition last year, winning 17 of their 18 regular season games.

However, outside of the home-and-away season where they were the minor premiers and lost just one game, Valleys lost three crucial games - the Madsen-Rasmussen Cup final, the qualifying semi-final and the grand final.

It comes as no surprise then that a major focus this off-season has been on game management.

“Game management was an issue for us last year,” Schulze said.

“We put ourselves under pressure in defence too often but with Cory (McGrady) and Brock back (Diment) and having Hugh (Sedger) available will really aid and assist in that area.”

Coach: Matthew Schulze and Josh Barrett

Captain: Jason Sharpe

Squad: John Palavi, Cory McGrady, Chris Gesch, Dwayne Duncan, Dylan Chown, Sam Betros, Joshua Keoller, Hugh Sedger, Brock Diment, Jason Sharpe, Domenic Whittingham, Matty Waites, Declan Buckley, Alex Hinch, Hopoate Finau, Jackson Shelswell, Lindsay Power, Junior Chong-nee, Daniel Bain, Harry Tombs, Kai Thompson, Jaren Bender, Joel Saffy, Koop Diment, Curtly Hammond, Brad Brown, Komiti Vetemotu, Charlie Pulsford, Joe Mua

Prediction: Top 3

Contenders? The Roosters are serious title contenders. The return of Corey McGrady alongside Brock Diment and Hugh Sedger strengthens what is already a blockbuster squad. The Pillar Street club have everything they need to win the premiership - they just need to win the big games.