The first three rounds of the TPIL Lawyers QAFL season has had the lot – wet and wild weather, games postponed, upsets, big wins, familiar faces picking up where they left off and newcomers making their own mark. With everyone enjoying a well-earned Easter break, we’re checking in up and down the competition to see who's started fast, and who’s already playing catch-up.
Tigers pouncing early
Noosa have roared into form to start season 2025, notching the same number of wins from all of last season in the first three weeks this time around. Their Round 3 clash against Mt Gravatt was abandoned at half time thanks to Mother Nature, so the scores at the time stood as the final result…handing Noosa a 20 point win in a heavily weather-affected stoush.
Head Coach Matt Leuenberger was quick to highlight the Tigers’ improvements over the summer.
“We felt coming into the season we were going to be a better team (than last season) and it looks like there’s a little bit of proof in the pudding,” he said.
Leuenberger was keen to look ahead to the Tigers’ next test, a short trip down the Bruce Highway for ANZAC round.
“For us it’s a special day on the calendar. We’ve got the privilege of the Sunshine Coast derby against Maroochydore.
“I think where it sits in Australian culture it’s a really special day. We get to play a small part in that, the players enjoy it and it’s a good spectacle.”
While pleased with Noosa’s fast start to the season, Leuenberger acknowledged the league hadn’t entered full swing yet.
“I still think it’s too early to make a call on how the ladder is shaping up.
“I think we’re still three weeks away from having a good idea on where the rest of the league is at.”
Up and down the TPIL Lawyer QAFL, coaches and players alike are keeping their cards close to their chests on ambitions for the season. Not at Noosa.
“At the moment, mathematically we’re in the box seat to play finals and we’re going for it, and that’s the way we play.”
Looking into the crystal ball, Leuenberger forecast: “As the games unfold and the weeks roll along we’ll get a better indication of where we sit but until we’re mathematically not viable to play finals, we’re going for it.”
Kings settle into life in the big time
When Coorparoo coach Leigh Harding spoke to AFL Queensland ahead of the season, the mood around the club was one of excitement:
“The players are really excited about the challenge that the QAFL will bring,” he said.
“The jump isn’t as great as some might imagine, as long as we continue to work on our game and stay consistent.”
The Kings showed they’re ready for the step up, running out 37-point victors over Broadbeach in Round 2, after their opening fixture was one of many postponed in Round 1.
The Kings were beaten by Wilston Grange last time out, proving once again how competitive the TPIL Lawyers QAFL is in season 2025. With a win and a loss under the Kings’ belts, their next assignment is an ANZAC Day blockbuster against an equally up-and-down Sherwood side, who are 2-1 from their full complement of three games so far.
After the Giffin Park faithful roared Coorparoo home against the Cats, the Kings will be banking on a similar atmosphere to get over the line in an always-emotional ANZAC Day special.
Cats on the board by a whisker
Joining Coorparoo and four other teams locked on four points early in the season are the aforementioned Broadbeach Cats.
The Cats bounced back from their loss to the Kings in Round 2, squeaking past reigning-premiers Morningside by less than a kick in a wet and wild scrap at Neptune Homes Oval.
Despite finishing ninth of last season’s twelve teams, the Cats only finished two wins shy of finals footy – a record they’ll hope to improve upon starting in Round 4, when they travel to last season’s minor premiers, Aspley. With the two teams split only by percentage, can the Cats get purring and spring an upset?
Around the grounds
Elsewhere, last season’s losing Grand Finalists Redland-Victoria Point have shown their appetite for a nailbiter, winning both of their opening fixtures by a combined seven points to sit third.
One team having an almost opposite experience to the Sharks is Palm Beach Currumbin. The Lions sit second after their two games, notching wins by 150 and 74 points, respectively, leaving them with a whopping percentage nudging 350%. They travel to Redland-Victoria Point in Round 4 – will we see another Lions blowout, or a Sharks nailbiter?
Thanks to the bye and some wild weather, reigning premiers Morningside have only taken to the field once, where they went down to Broadbeach. The Panthers are one of three winless teams, with Mt Gravatt and Labrador also playing catch-up when the other side of the Easter break arrives.
The next few weeks will be telling in the TPIL Lawyers QAFL – six teams in the middle of the pack are split only on percentage.
Footy returns in Round 4 with a very special ANZAC Day game between Coorparoo and Sherwood at the home of the Kings, Giffin Park.
Photo credit: Craig Slaney Sports Photography