Gatton Hawks put to the test by impressive Warwick Cowboys

Round 8 TRL TALK: A veteran star sinbinned in a thrilling A-grade encounter and a fallen giant’s return to form headline our TRL Talking points from the weekend. Get all the latest here.

Nick Short on the move for Gatton against Warwick in TRL A-grade Round 8 rugby league at Father Ranger Oval. Picture: Mike Spence/TRL

Defending premiers Gatton Hawks were put to the test by an impressive Warwick Cowboys on Sunday.

The country powerhouses combined for an eight try thriller with Gatton sneaking home late to kept their perfect start to the Hutchinson Builders A-grade men’s season intact.

Hawks late win and a surprise result in the Toowoomba Sports Club women’s comp headline our Round 8 TRL Talking Points.

Hawks leave it late

Second row star James Robinson was the hero of the day in Gatton’s thrilling 22-18 win over Warwick Cowboys at the weekend.

Boosted by a vocal home crowd Cowboys threw the kitchen sink at the defending premiers on Sunday afternoon before Hawks snatched a late win.

With his team staring down the barrell of their first loss of the season Robinson turned saviour crashing over in the 76th minute to score a try which was duly converted by Leonard Thomas.

Warwick were excellent early in the match, racing away to a 10-0 lead, and were the better team for large parts of the game.

Gatton however have shown an ability all season to make the most of their opportunities.

Key to Warwick’s performance was their ability to match Gatton’s intensity in the middle - a plan rival team will be keen to employ when they face the premiers.

Unfortunately for the rest of the competition Gatton will have ample time to recover after the brutal encounter with a Round 9 bye this weekend followed by a competition bye a week later.

Harry Sullivan with the ball for Warwick against Gatton in TRL A-grade Round 8 rugby league at Father Ranger Oval, Sunday, June 1, 2025. Picture: Mike Spence/TRL

Jake Self with the ball for Gatton against Warwick in TRL A-grade Round 8 rugby league at Father Ranger Oval, Sunday, June 1, 2025. Picture: Mike Spence/TRL

Anxious wait

The battle between Gatton playmaker Shannon Hicks and Cowboys second row Charlie Christensen was a highlight of the match.

Both refused to give an inch it was a passionate and intense clash.

Hick however will face an anxious wait before he learns his playing fate after spending time in the sin bin.

Tight at the top

The race for the TRL women’s minor premiership is no clearer after an ‘upset result’ on Sunday.

Pittsworth Danes competition heavyweights Brothers with the Danes securing an impressive 23-12 win.

Keen to keep pace with frontrunners Highfields and Valleys, who both picked up wins on the weekend, Brothers would’ve been desperate for their own positive result.

Danes had other ideas though with four different players scoring in the win.’

The upset win has created a top four logjam with Highfields (13 points) leading ahead of Valleys (12), Oakey (10) and Brothers (10).

The win is a great result for Pittworth who sit just aside the top four and a finals spot on 8 points.

Saturday showdowns

Roosters crow

Highfields win over a plucky Dalby women’s side added another level of importance to the Valleys and Oakey showdown at John McDonald Sports Complex on Saturday.

The two sides went into the clash on 10 points apiece with Valleys ahead by virtue of a plus five points differential.

The match lived up to the pre-game hype with the two sides producing a 10-try thriller.

Dynamic Roosters centre Lillian Cocker was the star of the show scoring three tries in her side’s 30-22 win.

Valleys were missing a few of their experienced stars to Western Clydesdales commitments but they have shown time and again this year what passion and team work can achieve.

Having the second best defence in the league also helps with the Roosters conceding just over 10 points a game.

Following the lead of their female clubmates Valleys men flew out of the blocks and never looked back against Oakey Bears.

Katelyn Anderson (left) of Oakey tackles Demi Federoff of Valleys in TRL Women Round 8 rugby league at John McDonald Sports Complex. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Leading 18-0 inside the first 20 minutes of the match Roosters were a force to be reckoned with on their way to an impressive 48-24 win.

Valleys Daniel Bain was the star of the show, bending the line with every run, and the hard-running lock finished with three tries.

Ja-Mahl Crooks was equally impressive scoring a treble of his own out on the wing for the Roosters.

Trailing 24-10 at the break Oakey lifted their game in the second half.

Bears played with a lot more intensity and passion but Roosters had the answer to every question raised.

The only question now is have Roosters recaptured the form and mental approach that took them to last year’s grand final?

They are three from three in their last three games, but that run includes wins struggling Pittsworth and Highfields sides.

Wins are wins though and the rest of the competition needs to be wary of the high-flying Roosters now.