Redland Victoria-Point has claimed victory by 38 points in the 2025 TPIL Lawyers QAFL Grand Final played at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday. The Sharks finally securing their first premiership in their third successive Grand Final appearance after being runners-up in 2023 and 2024.
It was virtually a one-man show as their spearhead Matt Hammelmann put his team on the path to glory booting nine goals (including the first seven for his team) as once again RVP proved too strong for Surfers Paradise 14.11.(95) to 8.9.(57).
The outstanding individual performance earned the key forward the Joe Grant Medal for Best on Ground to cap off a brilliant season. Besides the premiership and man of the match honours, he ably represented Queensland in the win over Tasmania and clinched the Ray Hughson Medal for the leading goalkicker during the regular season. He smashed through the century barrier during the finals and after Saturday’s effort his tally ended on 113.
Hammelmann set the ball rolling kicking two goals in the opening ten minutes of Saturday’s decider before the remainder of the term became an arm wrestle. At the other end Surfers full-forward Joe Kennedy was off target with three behinds from just as many set shots.
Unfortunately for the Demons they lost key playmaker Lucas Snowball when he suffered a knock to the head going for a loose ball on the forward line and despite walking off after a lengthy delay he was ruled out for the remainder of the match.
The start of the second quarter was a repeat of the first with Hammelmann kicking the first two goals but this time inside five minutes! Demons forward Mitch Patten finally found the big sticks to put Surfers first on the board and he grabbed another in time-on.
However, the Sharks’ sharpshooter responded with two more then closed off a remarkable half with number seven on the siren and RVP leading by 29 points. Even more remarkable that in one half of football and nine goals scored there were only two goalkickers!
The third quarter clicked up a gear with the Demons trying to get back in the game as they scored three of the next four goals. Redland’s Joshua Brown broke the streak to become RVP’s second goalkicker, but the margin was narrowed to 17 points following goals to midfielder Axel Moore and ruckman Zac Smith. However, that was where the challenge ended as Hammelmann steadied his team up with his eighth.
Mitch Patten gave Demon supporters faint hope of a last quarter comeback when he kicked his third in the opening two minutes, but again Hammelmann restored order ten minutes later with his ninth and probably his best for the match. His set shot conversion was superb and he slotted this one through from the boundary on the 50-metre arc.
The Sharks were sensing ‘blood in the water’ when in quick fashion Myles Callaghan converted after a crunching tackle and Nathan Smith put Surfers out of reach with a sensational snap from the boundary and the lead had blown out to six goals.
A couple of consolation majors to Demon’s forward Oscar Wood and Moore’s second were then cancelled out by Shark’s pair Clay Cameron and Jarrod Huddy who has been a valuable assistant to dominant ruckman Craig Malone.
The siren soon sounded, and celebrations started for RVP coach Phil Carse, and inspirational skipper Mitch Stallard as their excited supporters mobbed the players on the ground.
Malone was brilliant again in the ruck as he dominated with 60 hit outs but the clearances were fairly even as a few of the stats indicated. Aside from Hammelmann’s brilliance and marks inside 50, the glaring differences were 92 tackles by the Sharks (to 52), while the Demons tried to break the play up by hand totalling 141 handballs to 73.
For the premiers, Dylan Smith was a tackling machine with 16 among his 29 disposals, Charlton Offermans (19 disposals and nine clearances), Scott Miller (19 disposals and 10 tackles), Luke O’Sullivan (20 disposals) while Matthew Hambleton laid a dozen tackles as well.
For the vanquished, Ben Woodburn was again a ball-magnet with 26 disposals and nine clearances, Cam Ellis-Yolmen (24 and eight), captain Harrison Fraser (23), Matt Doran (21) while Jamison Shea, Hugh Greenwood along with defenders Hamish Anderson and Harrison Ireland were handy contributors.
Surfers Paradise have found RVP to be their nemesis tasting defeat in their last five clashes including four this season. They will certainly rue the Qualifying Final where the Demons had a handy lead before being reeled in by the eventual premiers and somehow have to find an answer for Hammelmann. In the 52 total goals RVP have kicked against Surfers this season, the Sharks forward has now scored 25 and on Saturday repeated his nine-goal haul from round 14.
The Demons have made steady improvement in recent seasons and will be desperate to atone next year. However, this year belongs to Redland Victoria-Point as they finally tasted well-deserved success following their disappointments from the previous two grand finals. Congratulations to all concerned and look forward to another successful TPIL Lawyers QAFL season in 2026.
