Statewide score wrap: Brothers defy odds to claim Ipswich title

It takes a lot of fight to win a grand final when you’re trailing by two points with no interchanges left and a busted halfback, and there’s only eight minutes left on the clock.

But that’s exactly what Brothers Ipswich did on Sunday, when they took out the Ipswich A Grade grand final with a 24-20 victory over Swifts Bluebirds at North Ipswich Reserve.

With players falling like flies throughout the game, Brothers had three players succumb to injury while their No.7 Rob Kennedy pushed through the pain of a torn hamstring to keep his team in the game.

Coach Wayne Barnett was backed into a corner as he accommodated for the number of injuries and was left with no interchanges for the final 15 minutes.

But it was prop and player of the match Matt Bell who stepped up to score the match-winning try – with Josh McCarroll adding the two points.

Barnett said the victory showed the character of the club.

“We were scraping the barrel to get through the last part of the game,” Barnett said.

“We used every interchange with the injuries, it was all unplanned. The boys just dug deep.

"Cody McIntosh, Owen McCarron, Corey Kurnoth, they all played 80 minutes. They don’t usually do that as well.

“Rob Kennedy was literally a passenger making up numbers. We played legless for a good 30 minutes.

“You try to instil in young people these days that if you work hard to get here, you can achieve this sort of stuff. They knew their backs were against the wall and it was going to be a tough slog.

“You could see the relief and sense of achievement when we won it.”

The win came after Brothers last year lost the grand final to Swifts.

Swifts also beat them three times throughout the regular season, with the Bluebirds undefeated before finals hit.

Brothers got one over them in the semi-finals and Barnett said it was good to see his side turn the tide when it mattered most.

Brothers have also gone through a “rebuilding year” with 36 new players debuting in A Grade.

Club president Brett McGrath said the win not only reflected the quality of the A Grade team, but what rugby league meant to the entire Brothers club and community.

“It shows we have that club spirit here,” McGrath said.

“We’ve had a lot of changes with players from last year’s roster and a lot of new players have come to the club and adopted that culture we have there.

“It’s in true Brothers style we could fight right to the end and come away with the win. The boys put in the hard yards all year.

“It’s really encouraging to see the players embrace the culture and really fight for the jersey.”

In other grand final results around the state, Wests Tigers defeated the Mackay Magpies 40-24 in the Mackay men’s A Grade competition, while the Magpies triumphed 18-4 over the Carltons Devils in the women’s draw.

Full scores and information for all Queensland A Grade competitions for the weekend September 2-4 are below.

South East region

BRL Premier A Grade

Finals Week 2

West Brisbane Panthers 28 def Bulimba Bulldogs 24
Wynnum Juniors 24 def Valleys Diehards 16

Ladder following regular season.

QTOP Premiership - Gold Coast

Finals Week 2

Southport Tigers 34 def Burleigh Bears 14
Tugun Seahawks 32 def Runaway Bay Seagulls 18

Ladder following regular season.

A Grade Premiership – Ipswich

Grand final

Brothers Ipswich 24 def Swifts Bluebirds 20

Ladder following regular season.

Central region

Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba Men’s Premiership

Finals Week 2

Highfields Eagles 22 def Goondiwindi Boars 20
Wattles Warriors 38 def Gatton Hawks 22

Ladder following regular season.