We name the star players and big talking points from grand finals

TRL FINALS: We name the star male and female players and shine a line on the big talking points from every match after a thrilling day of Toowoomba Rugby League senior grand finals.

In a historic first Toowoomba Rugby League first grand final footy was played on Saturday this year and all four matches lived up to the billing.

Defending premiers Highfields kicked off proceedings in a 53-point thriller with Valleys Roosters.

The feathers flew in the under-19s decider with Declan Ryan writing his name into Eagles folklore.

Here’s our full wrap of the day including star players from every team and the big talking points.

Highfields Eagles Under 19 men celebrate their premiership win.

Under 19 men

Valleys v Highfields

Highfields Eagles and Valleys Roosters produced a thrilling high-scoring contest which went to golden point.

In what was the match of the day, Highfields claimed a 27-26 win over the Roosters to earnits second successive TRL U19 premiership.

In a back-and-forth contest which had several shifts in momentum, it was Eagles captain Declan Ryan, who had the final say as he scored the winning field goal in golden point.

Electric Elara dominates

Highfields hooker Shannon Elara had a grand final to remember as he took out the best on ground award in the Eagles’ nailbiting 27-26 win over Roosters.

Throughout the contest, Elara had the Valleys’ defence on its toes as he caused havoc from dummy-half.

Elara scored a pair of tries in quick succession in the first half off the back of his work from

dummy-half and came agonisingly close to completing his hat-trick in the second half after another mesmerising run.

Robinson’s clutch conversion sets up thrilling finale

Valleys had trailed for almost the entirety of the second half but had the chance to draw level with less than five minutes on the clock when Te Arawa Tapu scored a try in the corner for the Roosters.

The pressure was palpable as Jacob Robinson lined up the conversion but the young hooker held his nerve to add the extras and levelled scores.

Missed chances prove costly

Valleys players will be left to rue two major opportunities which could have seen them claim

a victory before the match went into golden point.

In the 51st minute, the Roosters scored a try directly in front but failed to convert.

The second moment occurred in the final stages of the contest.

With 70 seconds left to play in normal time, Valleys were awarded a penalty inside their attacking half and as a result were about to have a full set of six in the final minute of the game just 20m out.

With only a field goal needed to surely clinch the game, the premiership was theirs for the

taking but a knock-on early in the tackle count meant the chance went astray.

Golden captain

Highfields captain Declan Ryan stood tall when it mattered most and slotted home the clutch

field goal to give the Eagles the win in golden point.

TRL president Joe Hannant hands the premiership to Highfields Eagles U19 captain Declan Ryan.

Star players

Highfields

Shannon Elara

Valleys had no answer for Elara as he was prominent both in attack and defence.

Elara scored two tries in the first half off his own work from dummy-half and went over a third time in the second half but failed to ground the ball in goal.

While it was his offence which rightfully stole the show and earned him player of the grand

final honours, he was no slouch in defence as he made several hard tackles in the

middle.

Declan Ryan

Ryan proved why he is the ultimate big game player as he led his side to victory with an

impressive display at five-eighth.

In defence, Ryan held his own but it was his offensive output which will be remembered.

With tricky footwork and elite vision, Ryan was a force to be reckoned with and was a pivotal

focal point of the Eagles’ attack.

Along with kicking the winning field goal, he also crossed the line for a four-pointer in the

second half.

Fakamalinga Likio

Likio helped set the tone for the Eagles with some barnstorming runs through the middle. He

was near unstoppable as he broke through countless tacklers and used his size to full

advantage. Likio gained several metres through the middle of the forward to put the backs in

a strong position to work the ball around.

Valleys

Braiden Driscoll

Driscoll was involved in everything that went well for the Roosters.

The halfback opened the scoring with a try in the sixth minute and his kicking game was a

joy to behold.

Along with being the main playmaker for the Roosters, Driscoll also helped make a try-saving tackle to keep Valleys in the game.

Aaron Hinch

In the late stages of the first half, Highfields appeared to be in full control and was beginning

to hit its straps.

However, two tries in four minutes from Hinch turned the tides of the contest back into the Roosters’ favour.

Hinch’s footwork and rapid pace made him a difficult customer for the entire contest.

Jack Stenzel

Stenzel was a solid partner to Driscoll in the halves and his ability to break tackles made him a pivotal playmaker for the Roosters.

Stenzel’s footwork and passing ability helped form several Valleys attacks and was always in the contest.

Gatton Hawks women celebrate their premiership win after beating Newtown.

A-grade women

Gatton v Newton

Gatton secured a three-peat with a comprehensive 32-16 win over the Lions.

The Hawks led the game for 57 of the 60 minutes and were a class above with five different

players crossing the line for a try.

Newtown hit back late to have a glimmer of hope but Gatton was ultimately too strong as it

held on to claim a comfortable victory.

Talking points

Hancock Edwards medallist kicks game off in style

The Lions started the game promisingly but quickly found themselves on the back foot as the

Hawks intercepted a pass on the wing and ran the length of the field to score a try.

After the initial intercept was made, the 2023 Hancock Edwards Medallist, Natalia Webb,

was in the right place at the right time to receive the pass from her teammate and ran home

to score the first try of the game.

Resilient defending keeps Lions in the contest

Throughout the first half, the Hawks had a plethora of opportunities to extend their lead.

At the time, Gatton held just a two-point lead and the game was in the balance despite the

countless chances the reigning premiers had.

Throughout the first half, Newtown made four try-saving tackles to stay within touching

distance.

Hawks breakaway

After struggling to find a way through the wall that was the Newtown defence, the Hawks

eventually spread their wings with two tries in the last five minutes of the first half.

Those two tries opened the floodgates and allowed the Hawks to lift to another gear in the

second half.

Newtown gives Gatton a late scare

With just over 11 minutes on the clock, Gatton held a 26-4 lead and was seemingly cruising

towards the premiership.

However, a quickfire double from Anna Dingley and Paige Edwards gave the Lions a slim

chance of pulling off a remarkable comeback as they reduced the deficit to 10 points with seven minutes to play.

Ultimately the comeback never occurred but the Lions did manage to keep the Hawks on

their toes for the final stages of the game.

Gatton Hawks women's captain Kimberley Dore receives the trophy.

Star players

Gatton

Kimberley Dore

The Gatton captain led from the front with a strong game in the second row.

Dore made countless runs and hit-ups throughout the 60 minutes.

She was a force both offensively and defensively and provided a solid platform for the backs

to get to work.

Sarah Hoger

Hoger put in a best on ground performance with a try and four conversions.

Every time she had the ball, she had the Lions’ defence on their toes and also showed her

ability to break through the line as well with rapid pace and agility.

Ashlea Nolan

The prop combined well with Dore in the forward line to gain several metres through the middle for Gatton.

Nolan’s ability to break tackles was on full show as she beat several players to score the

Hawks’ fifth try of the game.

Nolan also made some bruising tackles to assert her authority in the middle.

Courtney Robinson

Robinson’s electric pace asked all kinds of questions of the Newtown defence as she regularly evaded and broke tackles, while also coming close to scoring a try of her own late in the first half.

Robinson eventually left the field with an injury late in the game but not before she made her

presence felt.

Newtown

Rosie Gibbs

Gibbs’ kicking game kept the Hawks honest throughout and her leadership was clear to see as she was constantly directing troops.

Gibbs made a pair of late conversions to give the Lions a late glimmer of hope as well.

Tamika Clevin

Clevin was the main focal point of Newtown’s offence as she controlled the play and made

some impressive passes throughout.

Anna Dingley

Dingley was seemingly everywhere for the Lions.

In defence, she made hard-hitting tackles and was not afraid to get stuck in.

On the offensive end, Dingley was rapid as she made several threatening runs and also scored a late try to give Newtown a late consolation.

Reserve grade

Valleys v Dalby

In a hard-fought contest Valleys ran home to claim a 26-10 win over Dalby in the Reserve

grade grand final.

Throughout the majority of the game, the Roosters had the upper hand but the Diehards remained within touching distance up until the final stages of the game where Valleys ran

home with two late tries.

Talking points

Valleys make most of sin bin

In the final stages of the first half, Dalby was looking ominous and a try seemed like it was

just around the corner.

However, a lapse in concentration from prop Tomasi Naborisi proved costly as he was sent

to the bin in the final minute of the first half.

Down a man to begin the second half, the Diehards defended admirably but eventually

Valleys found a way through and made it a two-score game thanks to a try from Bryce

Whale in the final minute before Naborisi’s return.

Babington keeps Dalby alive

As the game went deeper, the Roosters began to crow and made line-breaks on two separate occasions where a try was seemingly certain.

However, up stepped Travis Babington who refused to be beaten.

Babington made two-separate try-savers including a two-on-one where he seemingly had no

right to prevent a try.

Valleys storm home

After holding the upper hand for the entire second half, the Roosters eventually extended

their lead beyond eight points in the final 15 minutes.

Valleys scored two tries late to put the game on ice and deal killer blows to Dalby’s premiership hopes.

Star players

Valleys

Jaren Bender

It was a typical captain’s performance from Bender as he was best on ground after a performance where he was prominent throughout.

Bender was here, there and everywhere as he regularly got his hands on the football and

made some lethal passes and runs inside the opposition’s 20.

Joel Currie

Currie formed a strong halves partnership with Bender and his kicking game was impressive.

His playmaking kept the Diehards on their toes and he made the line-break which led to the

fourth try of the game for Valleys.

Harry Tombs

Tombs made his presence felt in the forward pack with aggressive runs and big tackles.

Dalby

Travis Babington

The Dalby Reserve grade captain was a weapon on both offence and defence as he made

try-saving tackles and blistering runs.

Babington’s crafty footwork made him difficult to tackle on kick returns and he regularly

broke tackles and kept the play alive with impressive offloads.

Tomasi Naborisi

While Naborisi would like to have the moment back which led to his sin-binning, he was a

dominant player at prop for the remainder of the contest.

Naborisi made some strong runs and came close to scoring twice in the later stages of the

first half when the game was still there for the taking.

Jed Bryers

Bryers was a pivotal playmaker for the Diehards as he made some threatening passes along

with some solid kicks as well.

A-grade men

Dalby v Valleys

The large contingent of travelling Dalby fans partied long into the night as the Diehards defeated Valleys 20-14 to take out the 2023 Hutchinson Builders A-grade Toowoomba Rugby League premiership.

In a game not short of drama, the Diehards’ main man Chris Woodbridge stood tall to take

home the John McDonald Medal for best player in the grand final.

Woodbridge scored two tries and 16 of his side’s 20 points to help Dalby claim the holy grail.

Talking points

Woodbridge opens game in style

It took only three minutes for the 2023 Webcke Price Medallist to have his say on the game as his electric pace allowed him to run past the Valleys defence to score a try in the corner in

front of the travelling Diehards supporters.

Teams capitalise on sin-bins

There were two sin-bins in this year’s A-grade finale, with Woodbridge and Valleys’ Sam Betros both spending 10 minutes on the sidelines.

When Dalby was down to 12 men, the Roosters scored their first try of the game to level

scores shortly after.

With just under 15 minutes left, Dalby held a narrow 14-12 lead over Valleys when Betros

was sent to the sin bin.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, Woodbridge made the most of his side having the extra

man to score a try with eight minutes to play to give Dalby a crucial eight-point lead.

Dalby Diehards celebrate winning the 2023 A-grade premiership.

Errors prove costly for Roosters

The Roosters found themselves chasing the game for the entirety of the second half and

were made to pay from their poor completions to sets and errors.

Dalby’s second try of the game came off the back of a seven-tackle set restart, while

seemingly every time the Roosters had strong field position and momentum on their side,

the set either ended with a poor kick or brought to an early conclusion due to an error.

Star players

Dalby

Chris Woodbridge

Woodbridge continued his emphatic run of form with a dominant display of attacking

prowess.

The fullback scored two tries, made three conversions and a penalty goal, while his kicking in general play placed the opposition backs under all sorts of pressure.

Xavier Manley

Manley spearheaded the Diehards forward pack with several runs for big metres in the middle and some bone-rattling tackles on his opposite number.

Daniel Wassell

In a game where tempers flared and errors were prominent, Wassell was a cool, composed

head who helped keep the Diehards in control.

Wassell dedicated the tempo with his passing game before he was forced to leave the field

late in the game with a head knock.

Valleys

Dylan Chown

Chown scored the Roosters’ first try of the game and was a major energiser for his side.

He made a big tackle to force a line dropout in the first half and was a busy player throughout the 80 minutes.

Alex Hinch

Hinch was an X-factor for Valleys and at times looked like he would single-handedly bring the Roosters back into the contest.

Hinch came agonisingly close to scoring the try of the day to end the first half.

His rapid pace and silky footwork allowed him to evade several tackles and he held his own

under the high balls which were sent his way.

Sam Betros

Betros was the focal point of the Valleys’ attack with his kicking game on full show as he

forced dropouts with impressive grubber kicks.

While his passing and running game was also impressive.

However, he will be left to rue his lapse in concentration which led to him being sent to the

bin in the crucial stages of the contest.