Tag: Burleigh Bears

Redcliffe Dolphins Beat Burleigh 40–22 to Reach Hostplus Cup Grand Final

Eight minutes. Three tries. A preliminary final blown apart — and the Redcliffe Dolphins are going to the grand final.

A year after Burleigh ended their season one game short of the decider, Redcliffe turned the tables with a 40–22 win at Kayo Stadium, exploding out of half-time to settle a contest that had threatened to become another Bears arm-wrestle.

Only four points separated them at the break. By the 53rd minute, the Dolphins led by 22, with LJ Nonu and a Trai Fuller double delivering the burst that changed the afternoon.

For Redcliffe, there was another layer to it. The road back to the grand final had brought them face-to-face with the team that ended the last one.

This time, they went through.

Read: One Win From the Grand Final, Redcliffe Dolphins Meet a Familiar Foe

Burleigh Come Ready for Another Fight

The Bears gave Redcliffe an early reminder that this wasn’t going to come easily.

Guy Hamilton’s 40/20 in the fifth minute put Burleigh on the attack, and Troy Leo turned the opportunity into points with a line break and try. Josh Rogers converted for 6–0.

Redcliffe took a while to find their rhythm, but when Jake Averillo broke through in the 15th minute, he didn’t need a second invitation. His try, converted by Joshua James, brought the Dolphins level and began to shift the game their way.

Averillo broke the line again five minutes later, and the pressure continued after a Burleigh ruck infringement gave Redcliffe a fresh set. Sam Elliott found his way through for the Dolphins’ second try before Jude Saldanha added another in the 24th minute.

At 16–6, Redcliffe had created some breathing room. Burleigh promptly took it away.

The Bears had a try ruled out by the video referee in the 33rd minute but were back across the line soon afterwards, Rogers scoring and converting to make it 16–12 at half-time.

It had become the sort of preliminary final Redcliffe knew very well: tight, physical and with very little room for a mistake.

Redcliffe Find Another Gear

The four-point margin lasted barely three minutes after the restart.

LJ Nonu scored first, then a dangerous-tackle penalty against Lochie Sheldon — who was also placed on report — gave Redcliffe another opportunity. Trai Fuller broke through and finished the job himself.

Burleigh had barely had time to absorb that setback when Fuller went through again. James converted all three second-half tries and, in a little over eight minutes, Redcliffe had gone from 16–12 to 34–12.

That burst also exposed the difference between the sides when Redcliffe managed to get runners into space. Despite having slightly less possession across the afternoon, the Dolphins made 1,547 metres to Burleigh’s 1,243 and broke 28 tackles to 12.

Their own defence was considerably harder to crack. Redcliffe missed only 12 tackles, less than half Burleigh’s 28, and finished with a 94.54 per cent effective tackle rate.

Those numbers mattered because this wasn’t an especially tidy Dolphins performance. They made 14 errors and conceded five penalties, giving Burleigh enough chances to stay interested.

The Bears Have One More Run

Mitch Watson pulled one back in the 55th minute, and Redcliffe later gave the Bears another opening when Domenico De Stradis made an error.

Troy Leo immediately broke the line, Fuller was penalised for a late tackle and Rogers took advantage, scoring and then converting to make it 34–22 with almost 13 minutes remaining.

For anyone who remembered what happened in this fixture a year ago, there was an uncomfortable parallel.

In the 2025 preliminary final, the Dolphins had Burleigh 16–6 down with seven minutes left and were seemingly headed for the decider. Two late Bears tries turned it into an 18–16 defeat and ended Redcliffe’s season. Burleigh then came to Kayo Stadium for the opening round of 2026 and beat them 22–12.

This time the Bears couldn’t find the same escape route. Errors from Callum Gromek and Luke Gale interrupted their chase, and with six minutes remaining Averillo went over for his second try. James’ conversion made it 40–22.

Read: Back Where It Ended: Redcliffe Dolphins Return to the Stage That Broke Their Hearts

This Time, Redcliffe Go Through

There was plenty Redcliffe could have done more cleanly, but preliminary finals have a way of stripping games down to what matters.

When Burleigh controlled the opening exchanges, the Dolphins worked their way back. When the Bears closed to four before half-time, Redcliffe came out and hit them with three tries in eight minutes. And when Burleigh made one last push, there was no repeat of the collapse that ended Redcliffe’s season 12 months ago.

Averillo and Fuller finished with two tries each, Elliott, Saldanha and Nonu had one apiece, while James converted six of Redcliffe’s seven tries.

The road back to the grand final had brought Redcliffe to the team that ended the last one. Same opponent, same point of the season, with a place in the decider waiting on the other side.

This time, the Dolphins got there.

Published 20-September-2026

One Win From the Grand Final, Redcliffe Dolphins Meet a Familiar Foe

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 16–4 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.

There will also be a different look to Redcliffe’s spine on Sunday, with Dolphins NRL back Jake Averillo named at five-eighth alongside Joshua James. Averillo has played five Hostplus Cup games for Redcliffe this season, including three at five-eighth, so this is hardly a late September cameo.

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.

It was Coster’s second try of the afternoon, and the Burleigh captain returns to the same ground on Sunday for what is set to be his 200th game for the Bears.

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.

Their captain will bring a milestone of his own to Redcliffe. Sam Coster is set to play his 200th game for Burleigh on Sunday, another layer to a preliminary final already carrying plenty for both clubs.

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 AEST
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

A Year Later, Redcliffe Dolphins Get Another Shot at the Team That Ended Their Season

Seven minutes.

That was how close the Redcliffe Dolphins came to reaching the 2025 Hostplus Cup Grand Final.

They led Burleigh 16–6 deep into last year’s preliminary final at UAA Park and appeared to have done enough. Then Creedence Toia scored. Takitau Mapapalangi followed him over. Josh Rogers converted both and, almost before Redcliffe could absorb what was happening, a 10-point lead had become an 18–16 defeat.

A year later, the road to the Grand Final has brought the Dolphins straight back to Burleigh.

Only this time, the Bears are coming to Redcliffe.

Sunday’s preliminary final at Kayo Stadium is a rematch with the side that ended Redcliffe’s last season, on the ground where the Dolphins could yet play twice more before 2026 is finished. Win and they will be back there six days later for the Hostplus Cup Grand Final.

Read: Two Wins From a Premiership: Redcliffe Dolphins Are Right in the Hunt

Burleigh has been here before

There is a symmetry to the past 12 months that would have been difficult to script. Burleigh ended Redcliffe’s 2025 season, then turned up at Kayo Stadium for Dave Elliott’s first Cup game as Dolphins coach on March 8 and won 22–12.

Go further back and these clubs have been getting in each other’s way in important games for decades.

Burleigh won its first Queensland Cup premiership by beating Redcliffe 12–10 in the 1999 Grand Final. Redcliffe returned the favour at Dolphin Oval in 2003, winning 31–18 to claim the title. In 2016 they met in the decider again, this time with the Bears winning 26–16 at Suncorp Stadium.

Two years later, Redcliffe beat Burleigh 13–6 in the major semi-final on the way to its most recent Cup premiership.

It is a rivalry woven through different generations of the competition and, for Redcliffe, through a much longer history. The club was founded in 1947, entered Brisbane first grade in 1960 and won its first BRL premiership five years later with a young Arthur Beetson in the side.

More than 60 years after that breakthrough, another Redcliffe team has arrived at another September game with Burleigh standing in the way.

The six months since Round 1

That 22–12 loss to the Bears in March did not set the pattern for Redcliffe’s season. The Dolphins won 14 of their 20 regular-season games, drew one and finished second on 35 competition points, three behind minor premiers Sunshine Coast. Their +233 points differential was the best in the competition.

There were some ugly afternoons mixed in with the good ones.

Ipswich provided perhaps the clearest example in June, scoring all 28 of its points before half-time at Kayo Stadium. Redcliffe rallied after the break but lost 28–18, and captain Sheldon Pitama made no attempt to soften the assessment afterwards.

“Too many errors, too many penalties,” Pitama said. “In this competition, you can’t come out of the sheds like that.”

He also spoke about the players taking “individual accountability and team accountability” into their video review.

The significance of those comments became clearer as the season went on. Redcliffe recovered, tightened its hold on second place and arrived in September with a home qualifying final against Central Queensland.

Then, rather inconveniently, another bad first half arrived.

The Capras scored three times in the opening 32 minutes and led 16–4 at the break. This time Redcliffe found a way out. Jude Saldanha crossed early in the second half, Brent Woolf levelled the scores with 17 minutes remaining and Trai Fuller put the Dolphins ahead for the first time with his 76th-minute try.

Redcliffe won 20–16 and, instead of playing sudden-death football last weekend, had the luxury of watching Burleigh survive a 12–10 scrap with Townsville.

A few familiar faces know how close is close

The qualifying final carried another milestone. It was Pitama’s 150th Cup appearance, all of them in Redcliffe colours.

Dave Elliott described him beforehand as “a stalwart of the club”, revealing that when the playing group was asked to choose its captain at the start of the year, about 90 per cent nominated Pitama.

Sam Elliott has his own reason for understanding what this stage of the season can mean.

He played 11 Cup games for Redcliffe in 2022, including the Grand Final loss to Norths, before eventually joining the Devils. In 2024 he was on the other side when Norths beat Redcliffe 34–20 in another Grand Final at Kayo Stadium.

When the forward returned to Redcliffe for 2026, he did not pretend the old result had been forgotten. “I feel like there’s unfinished business,” he said earlier this season.

There has been quite a bit of that around Redcliffe lately.

The Dolphins were Grand Finalists in 2022 and again in 2024. Last season was very different: they were ninth late in the campaign before four straight wins carried them all the way to Burleigh and that 16–6 lead with seven minutes remaining.

This year there has been no late scramble. Second place brought a home qualifying final, the win over the Capras brought a weekend off, and now the preliminary final comes to Redcliffe as well.

Read: Talobilla Park Set to Become Peninsula Sports Hub in Kippa-Ring

Burleigh comes back into view

There will be time before Sunday to examine the team lists, the match-ups and what Redcliffe needs to do differently from that opening-round meeting in March.

For now, there is enough in how the two clubs arrived here.

Burleigh has been on both sides of some important pages in Redcliffe’s Cup history: Grand Finals in 1999, 2003 and 2016, the 2018 finals series and those extraordinary closing minutes last September.

Then came Round 1 this year. Now comes Sunday.

The winner advances to the September 26 Grand Final, also at Kayo Stadium. For Redcliffe, that means a season that began at home against Burleigh could reach its defining weekend at home against Burleigh, with another game on the same ground waiting six days later.

After several Septembers spent getting painfully close, Redcliffe has earned another chance to see where this one leads.

Published 16-September-2026

Redcliffe’s Rugby League Weekend: Dolphins Open NRL Season as Redcliffe Dolphins Launch Hostplus Cup

It’s here! The Dolphins kick off their 2026 NRL season campaign hosting the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium, hoping to get off the starting blocks with a win. The Redcliffe Dolphins QRL team also begin their Hostplus Cup campaign this weekend at Kayo Stadium against the Burleigh Bears.

An opening weekend double header at two separate venues.

Redcliffe Ready: Dolphins Open 2026 with Heavyweight Round One NRL Clash

There is no easing into 2026.

The Dolphins open their season on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium against a South Sydney side loaded with star power but arriving with question marks after a disrupted pre-season.

Tom Flegler and Tom Gilbert return to the starting pack; Selwyn Cobbo makes his club debut; and Redcliffe gets an immediate read on whether this roster is ready to turn two near-misses into a genuine top-eight push.

For Redcliffe, this is not just round one — it is a genuine early test of whether this squad is ready to convert potential into finals football.

Kick-off is at 1:05pm on Sunday, March 8.

Forward Pack Reinforced

The biggest substance in this team list sits up front.

Flegler returns at prop after nearly two years sidelined by a serious shoulder injury. His presence changes the tone of the middle immediately. Alongside him, Gilbert is named to start at prop in his first NRL appearance since Round 11 last season and will captain the side in his comeback game.

Morgan Knowles starts at lock in his first match for the club, adding further steel to a forward rotation that includes Connelly Lemuelu and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki in the back row.

At hooker, reigning 2025 Forward of the Year and Most Consistent Player Kurt Donoghoe gets the nod, with Bradley Schneider, Oryn Keeley, Felise Kaufusi and Trai Fuller on the bench.

After falling agonisingly short of the top eight in each of the past two seasons, this is the strongest middle Redcliffe has taken into a Round One game.

Strike Power Out Wide

If the pack lays the platform, the backline has the capacity to finish.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow remains at fullback, despite off-season speculation about a positional switch. Coach Kristian Woolf confirmed he would stay at the back, with Trai Fuller named on the bench.

Selwyn Cobbo lines up on the wing for his club debut, opposite Jamayne Isaako. Jake Averillo and Herbie Farnworth combine again in the centres, while Isaiya Katoa partners Kodi Nikorima in the halves.

The Dolphins finished 2025 as the number one attacking team in the NRL. Tabuai-Fidow has scored 16 tries in his past 10 games at Suncorp Stadium. Those numbers are not theoretical — they reflect how quickly this side can turn pressure into points.

Rabbitohs Bring Firepower — and Questions

On paper, South Sydney arrive with serious class.

Latrell Mitchell starts in the centres, Cody Walker at five-eighth and captain Cameron Murray at lock. David Fifita will make his club debut in the second row after a strong pre-season, while Alex Johnston returns fit and sits just two tries short of equalling Ken Irvine’s all-time premiership try-scoring record.

But the Rabbitohs’ preparation has not been smooth.

Hooker Brandon Smith has undergone scans on a calf injury that could sideline him for an extended period, adding to a growing injury list. Halfback Jamie Humphreys is suspended for the opening two rounds, while Jonah Glover was ruled out after breaking his jaw in the Charity Shield. Jayden Sullivan has been working back from surgery to treat an infection and remains a watch heading into the weekend.

That has placed pressure on the halves combination. Ashton Ward has been named at No.7 alongside Walker, stepping into a key organisational role in just his seventh NRL appearance. Wayne Bennett has been forced to manage significant reshuffling during the pre-season and may yet need further adjustments if availability shifts again.

In the forwards, Jai Arrow remains sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder issue. Sean Keppie and Bronson Garlick both failed head injury assessments in a pre-season fixture but are expected to be available following the required concussion protocols.

The result is a Rabbitohs side that has quality across the park but enters round one with moving parts. South Sydney enter Round One after a disrupted pre-season due to injuries and suspensions.

For Redcliffe, that matters.

What It All Means for Redcliffe

The Dolphins have won four of their past six games at Suncorp. South Sydney managed just three wins from 12 away matches in 2025.

Both clubs have spoken openly about top-eight ambitions in 2026. Both have strengthened key areas. But round one is about execution, not projection.

With Flegler and Gilbert back in the engine room, Cobbo bringing fresh edge speed and Katoa now firmly established as the club’s on-field organiser, this is the most balanced Dolphins side Redcliffe has taken into a season opener.

The peninsula has watched this build year by year — from expansion curiosity to genuine contender. Expectations are no longer about competitiveness. They are about progression.

A fast, physical start at Suncorp would not just open the season. It would tell Redcliffe that 2026 is the year the Dolphins move from chasing the eight to belonging in it.

Dolphins v Rabbitohs
Sunday, March 8
1:05pm
Suncorp Stadium
Broadcast on Nine Network, Nine Now, Kayo and Foxtel

Published 4-March-2026

Also happening this weekend at Kayo Stadium…

Redcliffe Dolphins Begin QRL 2026 with September in the Rearview — and Burleigh Bears in the Crosshairs

The QRL Hostplus Cup season opens for the Redcliffe Dolphins exactly where last year ended — against the Burleigh Bears.

An 18–16 preliminary final defeat at UAA Park last September left Redcliffe one step short of a grand final. Not outplayed. Not overwhelmed. Just edged in a contest decided by fine margins.

Now 2026 begins at Kayo Stadium with the same opponent across the line.

The memory is fresh. The response comes first.

Head-to-Head: Margins Define It

Across 22 meetings between the Dolphins and Bears, Redcliffe hold a narrow historical edge:

• 12 wins
• 9 losses
• 1 draw

Recent clashes underline how little separates the sides.

The most recent meeting — that 18–16 preliminary final — was decided late. Earlier in the 2025 regular season, Burleigh recorded a 30–12 result. These contests are shaped by discipline and execution rather than dominance.

Fortress Kayo

Venue numbers strengthen Redcliffe’s position heading into Round One.

At Kayo Stadium, the Dolphins win 66% of their matches — 79 victories from 120 appearances.

Burleigh’s record at the venue sits at 38% (5 wins from 13 games).

Nearly half of Redcliffe’s 2026 QRL regular season — 11 of 23 matches — will again be played on the peninsula. Early home conversion plays a major role in ladder stability across the 12-team competition.

Round One begins where Redcliffe are statistically strongest.

What Last Season Proved

The Dolphins finished sixth in the 2025 regular season before pushing deep into the finals and falling just two points short of a grand final appearance.

That run confirmed Redcliffe as one of the competition’s most consistent sides. Their late-season form and defensive resilience carried them through the finals and within a single score of the decider.

Rather than rebuilding in 2026, the Dolphins begin the new campaign looking to build directly on that momentum.

Program Strength vs Program Strength

Overall win rates underline how competitive both clubs have been historically:

• Redcliffe overall win rate: 58% (150 wins from 259 games)
• Burleigh overall win rate: 62% (159 wins from 256 games)

Both enter the 2026 season as established QRL contenders.

The margin between them last September was two points — and the numbers suggest this contest may again come down to execution.

The Round One 17

Continuity defines Redcliffe’s opening lineup.

Declan Dowson anchors the back at fullback. Steven Numbo and Jude Saldanha provide width, with Montel Lisala and Michael McGrath completing the backline. Karl Oloapu and Joshua James combine in the halves.

Through the middle, Jack Johnson, Jordan Plath and Riley Price headline the forward pack alongside Domenico De Stradis, Sam Elliott and lock Sheldon Pitama.

The interchange — Max Plath, Mali Le Pou, Patrice Siolo and Elijah Rasmussen — adds forward depth and defensive stability.

This is not a side searching for combinations. It is a team beginning the season with cohesion already established.

The Moment

Redcliffe do not open 2026 chasing credibility. They open defending momentum.

They hold the historical edge.
They dominate at Kayo Stadium.
Burleigh hold the most recent victory.

Two points separated them in September.

Now the Redcliffe Dolphins begin their QRL campaign with the chance to answer it — immediately.

Redcliffe Dolphins v Burleigh Bears
Round 1 — QRL Hostplus Cup 2026
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
Date: Sunday, March 8
Kick-off: 1:10pm AEST
Competition: Hostplus Cup (QRL)

Published 4-March-2026