Sport
26 September, 2025
Warriors fall to high flying Hawks
Premiership honours for 2025 weren’t to be for the Central Downs’ favourite sons the Wattles Warriors last Saturday as they were overwhelmed by the all-conquering Gatton Hawks’ first grade team 28 to 12 on the back of a five-star performance by hooker Tom Luhrman.
The huge crowd at Clive Berghofer Stadium saluted the Hawks achievers on their undefeated premiership honours and back-to-back Toowoomba Rugby League premiership wins.
Gatton added to a page in club history as the first undefeated premiers since Valleys Roosters in 2008, and proved to be a polished force at another level against the gutsy Wattles outfit.
The Hawks outlasted a determined Wattles’ first half challenge to lead marginally 10-6 at half time, before running in three hard earned second stanza touchdowns to Wattles’ single effort.
Classy rake Tom Luhrman capped off a sensational match when named winner of the prestigious John McDonald Medal as the 2025 Toowoomba Rugby League Player of the Grand Final.
Along with Luhrman, who had been a shining light for Gatton all season, second-rower Leonard Thomas, five-eighth Travis Turnbull, centre Brad Zampech along with James Robinson off the bench were among a team of impressive Hawks.
Halfback Tom Hatch was an exemplary performer for Wattles, along with skipper and back-rower the relentless Nick Van Der Poel.
Among others to shine in green and gold were front rowers Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard and Cooper Tate-Roche while bench utility Daniel Jennings was an outstanding performer.
The courage award was deserved by winger Matt Christensen, who appeared not fully fit from the early stages but fulfilled everything asked of him until he succumbed to injury in the final minutes and was assisted from the field.
The Hawks had set the bar high across the season, finishing without an A Grade loss, their silverware including the mid-season Madsen-Rasmussen Trophy.
Gatton were confident foes of the Warriors, emerging winners in the two teams’ three top of the premiership table clashes.
Aside from the Grand Final and the Madsen-Rasmussen Trophy, Gatton finished ahead 32-22 in Round 5, and 38-16 in the Major Semi-Final, a result that catapulted the Minor Premier Hawks into the season decider.
Wattles dealt with Gatton harshly when they won the 2022 Grand Final 51-20 running in an incredible nine tries to four.
Saturday was the Hawks’ chance to return the favour, but a first stanza littered in missed opportunities and errors by both sides saw the score after forty minutes considerably less than it could have been.
Wattles bothered the scoreboard attendant initially when try-scoring dynamo Matt Christensen capitalised on a Dwayne Duncan over the top pass to touch down, and with Duncan converting, Wattles were 6-0 by the sixth minute.
Tempers flared at times in a frustrating first half that featured numerous point scoring opportunities lost, before a Tom Luhrmann grubber saw co-captain and front-rower Ben Haviland win the chase in Wattles’ in-goal to force the ball for a try centimetres before the dead ball line.
The score was locked at 6-6 after fifteen minutes, before speed machine Cameron Bundock raced forty metres down the touchline taking advantage of some average Wattles’ defence to claim back-to-back Hawks’ tries and a 10-6 lead.
The frustrating error rate and less than appreciated low completions continued to affect both teams.
Gatton boasted genuine strike power but struggled to capitalise, while Wattles showed plenty of courage but appeared to be suffering from the physical effects of their clash of the season with Brothers six days previous.
Wattles took a downward turn thirteen minutes prior to the break when centre Connor Williams was dispatched to the sin bin.
With thirty minutes gone both sides continued to battle at 10-6, far from the pre-match predicted one-sided stoush, Wattles clearly wounded in some quarters still a force to be reckoned with.
Both teams could well have altered the scoreboard in the minutes before the break, but when they filed in to the dressing room it was still Gatton holding on to a 10 – 6 advantage.
Gatton were first to break the points ice seven minutes after the restart through a try under the black dot to veteran Hawk Shannon Hicks, who had announced post-match his retirement after the Grand Final. It was a memorable four-pointer indeed, running off a Luhrman dart towards the goal posts and jumping the Hawks’ lead to 16 - 6.
The reigning premiers ran in another touchdown through centre Nick Short in the 55th minute after a chip chase upfield, and a successful sideline conversion saw the Gatton lead blow out to 22 – 6, leaving Wattles with 25 minutes to address a growing concern as the game slipped away.
Dwayne Duncan’s kicking game was on show throughout with less positive results, but his brilliant individual try in the 62nd minute kept Wattles in touch with a winning result trailing 12 – 22.
While the Warriors were on a roll, they threw the contents of their weapon arsenal at their opponents over a couple of six tackle sets inside their opponent’s quarter, but if the old saying ‘tackles win matches’ holds true, the Hawks closed out the game with their dogged defence off their try line.
Duncan trotted out all of his box of tricks but to no avail for the battle-weary Warriors.
Nick Van Der Poel breached the Hawk’s ingoal beside the posts with eleven minutes remaining, but the frustration continued when he was ruled held up, no try.
Gatton hit back minutes later through slick finisher Tyrell Woodley capitalising on a well-placed Travis Turbell chip kick that caught Wattles with no-one home, lifting the score to the winning total and another premiership honour heading to the Lockyer Valley.
Gatton 28 (Ben Haviland, Cameron Bundock, Shannon Hicks. Nick Short, Tyrell Woodley tries; Leonard Burns 3, Travis Turnbull goals) defeated Wattles 12 (Matthew Christensen, Dwayne Duncan tries; Dwayne Duncan 2 goals).
2025 Toowoomba Rugby League Grand Finals
Clive Berghofer Land Sales Reserve Grade - Warwick Cowboys 20 defeated Valleys Roosters 10
O’Neills Irish International Sports Aust. Under 19 - Dalby Diehards 34 defeated Valleys Roosters 28
Club to Celebrate
Wattles Rugby League Club will celebrate what can certainly be considered a successful 2025 season at their Annual Banquet & Presentation Night at the Allora Community Hall this Friday evening, September 26th.
- Glyn Rees
