For his team, for a mate, for himself: What grand final day means for Brent Woolf
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Brent Woolf is keeping a lid on the grand final hype.
The cool and calm Redcliffe hooker knows what this one on Sunday means.
It’s his first Hostplus Cup premiership decider.
It’s the result of two decades of hard work as an individual.
It’s a chance to keep pushing through in honour of an old mate.
And it’s a reward for a team that hasn’t given up all year.
But, even with all that significance and emotion, Woolf knows he has to keep his eye on the prize.
“At this stage, it is just another week of footy,” the versatile forward said.
“I don’t want to get too pumped up too early. As it gets closer, I’m sure I’ll feel the event and the intensity of the event a bit more. But for now, I’m going to keep it pretty chill.
“I’ve just been thinking about the game and what I need to do in that regard. I haven’t been thinking about the significance and meaning of it.
“I’ve just been thinking about what I need to do and how I’m going to exploit the team I’m versing. If we win, I’ll think about all that stuff and how I feel afterwards.”
Woolf came to the Dolphins from Tweed Seagulls for season 2024, determined to find himself a fresh start.
He was starting to feel like he was in a bit of a rut down south and wanted to revitalise his career.
As soon as he saw the Redcliffe facilities and met with staff, he knew he was in the right place.
“It was something new,” Woolf said of his change.
“I’d been at Tweed for a long time and I felt like my footy had plateaued. So, it was something different.
“The relationship with the NRL team is obviously appealing but the way they carry themselves as a club, the professionalism and the willingness to put in the effort to win, and the desire to win as well, it’s something that resonates with me a fair bit.”
Coming into Redcliffe, Woolf’s goals were fairly simple. He wanted to stay injury-free, but that sadly fell apart early on when he dislocated his shoulder.
He still went on to play the majority of the season, with 19 appearances under his belt.
His initial focus was on his own form, but as the season progressed, he knew it was more about the team and what they could achieve collectively, especially as finals loomed.
“I felt that (finals promise) early on,” he said.
“There was a period where we struggled and every team has that. But I thought, if we get back on track, with the amount of strike and resilience we have, we were always a chance and we’ve proved that in the end.
“The team has gelled nicely. We all like each other which is important. There aren’t really any individual groups, which you can see sometimes at clubs.
“Everyone gets along fairly well and spends time together. Especially for a new sort of team, we’ve done really well at that. We’re always making sure we’re talking to people.
“The amount of staff that is willing to help at all times is a big part of it too. There’s never a moment where you need something and there isn’t someone there to provide it for you – strapping, advice, anything you need.
“They’re willing to help and very passionate about the club too, so they want to help.
“The team morale, it has to be what it is to get this far and to be winning games. The amount of toughness and resilience we’ve shown is because of that.”
Woolf believes that toughness was on show over the weekend as the Dolphins overcame the minor premiers in the Northern Pride to qualify for this Sunday’s grand final showdown against the Norths Devils.
They lost Trai Fuller to an ACL rupture, forward Jarrett Boland to a torn pec and had young playmaker Latrell Siegwalt playing through back spasms.
But they managed to pull off a golden point victory.
“That’s exactly what it was - a willingness to work hard for each other,” Woolf said.
“There were a lot of people busted but we defended our line. We held together and made sure there weren’t many tries. Once the Pride start getting that roll on, it’s tough to stop them.
“I think that surprised them a little bit.”
The Dolphins last played in a grand final in 2022, coincidentally enough against the Devils who took out that year’s premiership.
In that Redcliffe team two years ago was the late Liam Hampson, who came off the bench as a back-up hooker to Sheldon Pitama.
This time around, Pitama is named at lock while Woolf is the starting hooker.
He knew Hampson well from their time together at Tweed and he is motivated by him everyday.
As he prepares to in part fill Hampson’s shoes from two years ago, Woolf said he will do what he can to continue honouring his friend’s memory.
The inaugural Liam Hampson Cup: 'It just shows the impact Liam had'
“There’s a piece of strapping tape with his name on it up in the sheds,” Woolf said.
“I look up and see it and think of him.
“He does actually (keep motivating me). Just the fact that I’m still here and he’s not… I feel as though he was better at a lot of areas and was always making sure he was present and trained hard.
“If I’m feeling in a slump, it always pays to remind myself that he hasn’t got that opportunity that I have now. He does motivate me to keep going.
“Representing Liam as best as I can is always going to be important for me.
“My memories of him are associated with a different team and a different time.
“But on Sunday I’ll make sure I run as much as possible and see if I can see get a sneaky try from dummy-half – do what he would have done.”
Whatever happens this Sunday, Woolf will give his all – for his team, for Hampson, for the Redcliffe club and community.
But he’s also playing for himself.
The 26-year-old has played the game for a long time now and – even without the emotion – he knows this is his biggest moment so far.
“This is highest level grand final I’ve played in,” he said.
“I guess it’s just an accumulation of all the hard work I’ve put in for however many years I’ve been playing rugby league. It’s a team effort but it’s also 20 years of hard work.”
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 from 5pm. Available on Foxtel and Kayo Freebies.
