IN THE MARKET? – CLICK BELOW FOR OPEN HOMES THIS SATURDAY
Twelve months after Burleigh snatched a Grand Final place from Redcliffe in the dying minutes, the Bears are back in the Dolphins’ way. This time, the preliminary final is at Kayo Stadium — and Redcliffe have had a fortnight to prepare for it.
Seven minutes. That was how close Redcliffe came to playing in last year’s Hostplus Cup Grand Final.
The Dolphins were 16–6 up on Burleigh at UAA Park when the preliminary final turned. Creedence Toia scored, Takitau Mapapalangi followed and Josh Rogers converted both as the Bears somehow escaped with an 18–16 win.
A year later, they have found each other again.
Sunday brings the same stakes but a very different setting. Redcliffe are at home, rested after earning last weekend off and coming off a regular season in which they finished second with the competition’s best points differential.
Burleigh have taken the longer route, losing 20–14 to minor premiers Sunshine Coast before keeping their season alive with a 12–10 win over Townsville last weekend.
One side has had a fortnight to prepare. The other has spent the past two weekends playing for its season.
Redcliffe Had to Earn the Week Off
If Redcliffe needed a reminder of how quickly a final can get away from them, they got one against Central Queensland.
The Capras raced to a 12–0 lead inside 12 minutes at Kayo Stadium and were still 16–6 ahead at half-time. Redcliffe had spent most of the opening 40 chasing the game; after the break, they changed it.
Jude Saldanha cut the margin before Brent Woolf crossed in the 63rd minute, with Joshua James converting to make it 16-all. More importantly, a Capras side that had found points freely in the first half was shut out in the second.
Then came Trai Fuller.
With four minutes remaining, the Redcliffe fullback broke through for the try that secured a 20–16 win and, with it, a weekend off.
The comeback showed plenty about this Dolphins side. The opening 20 minutes also gave them something to think about, particularly with Woolf expecting Burleigh to come at them early.
“We’ll Just See Who Breaks First”
Redcliffe had the weekend off, but Woolf still found his way to a football ground.
He travelled to the Gold Coast to watch Burleigh’s elimination final against Townsville, where the Bears built a 12–2 half-time lead and then held off a Blackhawks comeback to win 12–10.
“They’re going to be fired right up, especially early on,” Woolf told the Redcliffe Dolphins.
“It’ll be a grind for the first 20 or so. We’ll just see who breaks first.”
After the start against the Capras, the relevance is obvious. Redcliffe proved they could recover from 12–0 down; they would rather not spend another final finding out whether they can do it again.
Sunday also happens to be Woolf’s 50th Cup appearance for Redcliffe, three seasons after joining the club in 2024.
He has already experienced most of what September can offer here: the run to the 2024 Grand Final, followed a year later by the preliminary-final loss to Burleigh. What he hasn’t experienced with Redcliffe is a premiership.
Woolf believes this squad has the depth and ability to contend for one, although he wasn’t talking this week as though anything had already been achieved.
“We haven’t fulfilled those expectations as of yet,” he said.
Burleigh Don’t Need Directions
The Bears have already been to Kayo Stadium this season. They won there.
Back in Round 1, Redcliffe worked their way into a 12–10 lead after Karl Oloapu scored in the 61st minute, only for the closing stages to belong to Burleigh. Kane Bradley put the Bears back in front nine minutes later and Sam Coster crossed in the 76th to close out a 22–12 win.
Six months of football have changed plenty since then.
Redcliffe built a 14-win season, with one draw and five losses. Their 577 points scored and 344 conceded produced a +233 differential — the best in the competition — and secured second place.
Burleigh finished fourth, then discovered immediately how different September can be. They led Sunshine Coast 12–0 in their opening final before losing 20–14 and being sent into sudden death against Townsville.
They survived that one.
So Redcliffe have the rest and the home ground. Burleigh arrive with two consecutive weeks of tight finals football behind them.
Neither route guarantees anything on Sunday.
And Here We Are Again
It would be easy to make this game entirely about last September, but Redcliffe have played too much good football since then for that.
They finished second, produced the competition’s best points differential and won the final that gave them the right to play this one at home. Burleigh, meanwhile, have already had to save their season once just to get back here.
Still, the parallel is hard to miss.
Redcliffe’s 2025 season ended against the Bears. Their 2026 campaign began against them. Now Burleigh are back again, with a Grand Final one win away.
There is one rather important change of address.
Last September, Redcliffe had to go to the Gold Coast. On Sunday, the Bears come to Kayo Stadium — the same ground that will host the Hostplus Cup Grand Final six days later.
For one of them, the next week will be spent preparing to come back.
For the other, Sunday is where the season ends.
MATCH DETAILS
Hostplus Cup Preliminary Final
Redcliffe Dolphins v Burleigh Bears
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Kick-off: 2.10pm
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
Watch: Live and free on Qplus
The prize: A place in the Hostplus Cup Grand Final at Kayo Stadium on Saturday, 26 September
Published 18-September-2026
CLICK ANY LOGO TO SEE PUBLICATION
