Its Grand Final weekend! Take a look at what teams are matching up against each other ahead of another blockbuster weekend.
TPIL Lawyers QFAW Division 2 Central Grand Final: Sherwood Magpies 2 (1st) vs Jindalee Jags (2nd), 9:00am Hickey Park
Sherwood will feature not only in the TPIL Lawyers Division 1 Grand Final, but also the TPIL Lawyers QFAW Division 2 Central Grand Final as well.
Sherwood 2 have not dropped a game this year. They have showed pure dominance at the highest order, and they don’t look like slowing down for the Grand Final. They took out the minor premiership after their 14-win season and are looking to add to the collection.
Chris Bloor, Head Coach of the Sherwood Magpies 2, is extremely proud of how hard his team and support staff have worked to make it this far. "The comradeship between the players and how supportive they are for each other has been great," he said. "Making the Grand Final is a great reward."
With a large playing squad across their three QFAW teams, the commitment and effort from the playing group has made the final selection process difficult. "We have great depth in player talent," Bloor said.
Jindalee will need to be at their very best Saturday morning if they hope to win their Grand Final. Both times the Jags faced the Magpies 2 team in the home and away season this year, they lost by 4 goals.
But those losses aren't deterring the Jags from showing up ready to win. "It's very exciting for our group and all the Jags supports to be in his Grand Final," said Daniel Holdsworth, Head Coach of the Jindalee Jags. "It's very rewarding for the team as they have worked hard throughout the season and very much deserved to be here."
Holdsworth knows his team will draw on their experience playing Finals Football to give them the edge, and he knows his team will give it their all. "I'm so proud of this team's willingness to work hard and never give up."
While Sherwood had last weekend off, the Jags had to face off against Beenleigh, who made them work for their win. The high scoring affair saw team leader Rieley Bloor and winger Tina Campbell kick three goals each. The Jags run through the middle was at an elite level, and it will need to be again ahead of this weekend.
One more to go. Who will leave this game with the title of Premiers?
TPIL Lawyers QFAW Division 1 Grand Final: Sherwood Magpies (1st) vs Sandgate Hawks (2nd), 11:00am Hickey Park
Sherwood will go into this weekend’s clash as hot favourites, as they take on second place Sandgate. These teams have faced off in four games this year, and Sherwood came out on top three times.
Sandgate will be full of confidence after their ninety-one-point victory over Redland-Victoria Point last week. Lucy Long was pivotal for them in that game, kicking four goals. But she is not the only in-form player in this Sandgate outfit. Jasmine Bradshaw, Courtney Danice and Mia Liddell also kicked three goals each.
Hawks Head Coach, Ben Long, is proud of the way his side has come together this season. "I loved watching new players meet new people and form new friendships, players create memories and be there for each other through disappointments, life milestones and successes. Winning is unreal, but the connections formed that create lifelong friendships are what footy is about, and our group do that really well," he said.
"It always feels great to make a Grand Final, it’s exciting for the players, the club, the coaches and supporters. Community Clubs rely on volunteers, players aren’t paid, so everyone is giving up their time to be part of something bigger than themselves, working together to try and achieve a goal. So it’s a great reward and feeling to get to the last game of the year for everyone involved."
Sherwood lost just the one game this in the home and away season, and it was to Sandgate. After that eighteen-point loss in Round 14, they have won their last three games. They are outright the most dominant team this year and are looking to cap it off with the cup in their hands.
Sherwood Magpies Head Coach, Stuart Fauds, is looking forward to seeing his side play their best football this weekend. "Making the Grand Final is a great reward for all the hard work done by the playing group, coaching and support staff," he said.
Faulds believes Sherwood's settled lineup will be one of their biggest strengths coming into this game. While he knows his midfield is strong, he thinks the Magpies' backline will be their secret weapon. "Conceding under 100 points for the season has been a real strength and with Sandgate having firepower up forward they’ll have their hands full."
One more game for the year, and it is the one everyone wants to be in. Who will be crowned Queens of the Nest, the Sherwood Magpies or Sandgate Hawks? We can't wait to find out.
QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup Reserves | University of Queensland Red Lions v Mayne Tigers – Saturday 1pm – Hickey Park
The University of Queensland will look to cap off their strong second half of the season on Grand Final, while the Mayne Tigers will want to spoil the party for the second weekend in a row, after earning their spot in the Grand Final with a goal in the dying seconds.
The Red Lions have overcome almost every challenge thrown at them this season, finishing the year with 15 Wins, 1 Loss and a very healthy 360.6% to earn the minor premiership in the QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup Reserves Competition. The team are looking to go one better in 2026, after falling short to the Springwood Pumas in the 2025 decider, and will no doubt take a number of key learnings from that game, into this weekend.
Red Lions Coach Scott Stephens points to his backline as their biggest strength going into this game “Our backline has been fantastic all season and have made us difficult to score against. We have player about 40 players through our Reserves this season and the team performed consistently well”.
The Tigers on the other hand are there to cause the upset again, finishing 3rd on the ladder (11W-5L, 143%), and taking the long road to the Grand Final. They made light work of Springwood in their elimination final, before Xavier Craven was able to snatch victory with a running checkside from the boundary, sinking Caloundra by 4 points in the dying minutes of the Preliminary Final last weekend. The team will take a lot of confidence from their finals run and will lean on their ability under pressure in this Grand Final matchup.
Tigers Coach Daniel Schmidt is just enjoying the occasion and will walk away proud of his team regardless of the result “Super exciting for the boys to reach the grand final after a couple of great wins during the finals series. We know there is a big challenge ahead of us and are excited for the chance to compete for the premiership. I am proud of the way the team have worked throughout the year with a great unity on and off the field.
Will UQ be able to go one better in 2026, or will Mayne be able to overcome the Red Lions for the first time this year. Regardless of the result, the game is guaranteed to be a hard-fought contest that you won’t want to miss.
QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup Seniors | Mayne Tigers v University of Queensland Red Lions – 3:30pm – Hickey Park
The Mayne Tigers are looking to complete the Three-peat come Saturday Afternoon, but they come against a UQ side that has been starved of Senior premiership glory for 41 years. Both sides have fought hard to earn their spot in this Grand Final and will leave everything on the park to achieve premiership success.
Mayne have had another strong season in 2026, finishing with 14 Wins and 12 Losses, being challenged mid-season in consecutive losses through Round 12 and 13, before finding their form again going undefeated across their past 7 matches. Most recently was a gutsy win against their Grand Final opponent, able to kick away late for a 15-point win and securing their spot in Saturday’s fixture.
Mayne Coach Jack Gartlan is unable to pin-point any one key matchup for the game, instead looking at the larger roles each individual takes on for the team “It’s hard to pick out one or two match-ups because both teams are pretty evenly matched across the ground. They’re (UQ) a very balanced side and don’t have any obvious weaknesses, so I think it will be about winning our individual battles and making sure we play our role for the team.”
The Red Lions didn’t struggle to find the winner’s circle in 2026 either, finishing 2nd on the ladder with 12 wins and 4 losses, and more notably, were the first team to get the better of the Mayne Tigers in Round 12. Having made consecutive Preliminary Finals in 2024 and 2025, UQ now have the chance to break a 41-Year Senior premiership drought. The team will be full of confidence and looking to emulate last weekends performance going into this Grand Final, after getting out of the blocks quickly to be up by 52 points at half time in their Preliminary Final win against Springwood.
UQ Coach Tom Corless didn’t understate what it means for the club to be playing in two Grand Finals on Saturday “To have both our Seniors and Reserves reach the Grand Final is a huge achievement for the UQ Red Lions and something everyone involved with the club can be extremely proud of. It feels fantastic. Our players mateship and respect of others, whilst still being competitive internally has been extremely impressive and important.”
Will Mayne be able to complete the Three-peat, or will UQ’s long standing drought end this Saturday? Regardless of who you support, all eyes should be firmly fixed on what will be another evenly balanced QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup Grand Final.