From Koori Knockout to Hostplus Cup grand final: The rise of Latrell Siegwalt
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Not in his wildest dreams did Latrell Siegwalt ever think he’d go from representing his family at a Koori Knockout to a Hostplus Cup grand final within the space of 12 months.
But as the Redcliffe Dolphins fullback prepares to lace up the boots for Sunday’s premiership decider at Kayo Stadium, that is his reality – his wildest dreams are coming true.
Hailing from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales and with an SG Ball stint with the Canterbury Bulldogs under his belt, Siegwalt was mostly just content playing his local footy.
But at last year’s Koori Knockout on the Central Coast, the 23-year-old helped his team Walgett be crowned champions, picking up player of the tournament honours along the way – a huge credit to his talent given the likes of Blake Ferguson, Braydon Trindall and Jack Wighton were also in action.
Former Manly Sea Eagles star George Rose also lamented to local media after the Koori Knockout that it was a “travesty” that Siegwalt didn’t have an NRL contract.
However, while it wasn’t the NRL, someone was watching the young gun.
“I played in the Koori Knockout and got picked up by Benny,” Siegwalt said of his Dolphins coach, Ben Te’o.
“I didn’t know he was watching. I just got a phone call a couple weeks after. It was pretty cool.
“We had a FaceTime meeting and he was very honest and showed belief in me and believed I could play in Cup.
“I’m a Rabbitohs fan so obviously he was in that (2014 NRL) grand final when they won it. It was sort of one of those ‘pinch me’ moments.
“I wasn’t really worried about my footy. I was just going with the flow and the opportunity came and I had a crack at it.”
Siegwalt’s “crack” at Hostplus Cup football has seen him become one of the breakout stars of the 2024 season – in 19 appearances he has scored seven tries with 12 assists and has recorded 10 line break assists, five offloads and an average of 100 run metres per game.
He has been versatile, playing at five-eighth, on the wing, as a bench utility and at fullback – his preferred position.
Now, on Sunday, he will etch his name into the history books as a grand finalist.
He will don the No.1 jersey and - with a calm and collected attitude - he is ready for whatever comes his way.
“I’m feeling good. I’m just excited, excited to play,” he said.
“Hopefully we can get the win, first of all, but I just want to go out, enjoy it as much as I can and play our game of footy and hopefully get the win.
“It would mean a lot to win it, especially given the sacrifice of moving up here.”
Redcliffe has been a fresh start for Siegwalt.
He said the biggest thing he’s learnt about himself is “how far” he can push himself. He’s disbanded bad habits around diet and training and now knows how to apply himself to become the best player he can.
But the biggest challenge for him has been moving away from family.
Having played the game since the age of seven, it is his dad Jody Siegwalt that he credits as being his biggest influence and support.
“My dad... He’s the been biggest push in the footy side of things,” Siegwalt said.
“I have a fair bit of family coming up his week for the game. My dad just always says, ‘keep your head down and keep moving forward and believe in yourself.’
“I’m a big family person. I love being near family as much as I can.
“That was one of the biggest challenges moving but it’s been pretty good. They (the club) has been really helpful and I go back as much as I can. All the boys have been good.
“There’s a couple but I’d say Brent Woolf and Josh James in particular have been very good taking me under their wings and that.”
With that camaraderie among the group, Siegwalt has had an inkling for a while now that they would be premiership contenders.
Now, there is just 80 minutes between the Dolphins and their grand final dreams.
“At the start of the season,” Siegwalt said when asked when he knew Redcliffe could make the grand final.
“Everyone gelled together really well and we just had that great connection and bond with players and staff.
“Everyone wants to win the grand final so we have our chance to now.”
To get your tickets to this year's highly-anticipated Queensland Rugby League grand final day, presented by Ford, click here.
The only place to watch the Hostplus Cup grand final live is Fox League. Available on Foxtel and Kayo Freebies.
