Grand final day in the Holcim Cup produced two great games of rugby league, with Burleigh Bears stamping their class over the competition with their 28-10 victory over Souths Logan Magpies.
Earlier in the day, the West Brisbane Panthers and Tweed Seagulls played out a thriller, with Tweed able to defy the odds this season to claim a 28-26 win.
Both games had players produce their best on the field to feature in the last of the Holcim Cup team of the week selections.
Each week, QRL.com.au published a Holcim Cup team of the week made up of outstanding performances by players in the competition each round.
Bears roar in Holcim Cup decider
Teams were selected by Queensland Rugby League Football and Digital staff, in consultation with Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons coaches Jason Hetherington, Karyn Murphy and Nat Dwyer, who closely followed each rounds’ action.
Holcim Cup finals team of the week
1. Karina Brown – Burleigh Bears
Brown just kept getting better for the Bears with every game she played. In the final, Brown made sure she was where she needed to be in attack and showed her toughness whenever she was taking on the defence.
2. Olivia Fien – Tweed Seagulls
A strong performer for the Seagulls, Fien proved hard to tackle and also went looking for work mid-field to take some carries. Possessing a good draw-and-pass, Fien was a consistent performer for her side throughout the tournament and in their final match against the Panthers.
3. Tyler Birch – Burleigh Bears
Birch has been one of the more consistent performers for the Bears throughout the Holcim Cup, and her never-back-down attitude helped put her side on the front foot in their grand final win. Her form was also rewarded with two tries in the victory to cap a strong overall performance.
4. Abelee Stanley – Tweed Seagulls
The young centre was again a key contributor for the Seagulls, showing strength with her committed carries. Destined to reach great heights in the game, Stanley showed that she was a team player with her contributions in Tweed’s win.
5. Tarnisha Lyons – Burleigh Bears
It was a grand final performance to savour for the Bears dynamo who crossed the line for a memorable hat-trick. Lyons always knew her role and exactly where she needed to be to capitalise and get her team on the scoreboard.
6. Lauren Brown - Burleigh Bears
In a crowded field of fantastic performers for the Burleigh Bears, Brown (main image) was judged player of the final after tearing it up for her side with her great game control and deft touches that led directly to tries. Brown also nailed some difficult conversions to add to the scoreboard.
7. Zahara Temara - Burleigh Bears
Pipped for player of the final by her halves partner Brown, Zahara had plenty of involvement in many of the key plays for the title winners and she was also rewarded for her commitment with a try of her own after chasing through hard on a Teaghan Hartigan kick through the line.
8. Steph Hancock – Souths Logan Magpies
The experienced forward tried her heart out for Souths Logan and added impact on the field when she came on. Hancock sparked a fightback from the Magpies when she crashed over for their first try of the grand final just before half-time, but the Bears proved too good in the end.
9. Therese Aiton - Souths Logan Magpies
The Magpies rake got through plenty of work and was busy in attack and defence, and tried hard to guide her forwards around and through Burleigh’s wall of defence.
10. Kirra Stedman - Tweed Seagulls
Praised by her coach Mike Castle for her work in defence in Tweed’s thrilling win over the Panthers, Stedman used her strength and fitness to tackle everything that came her way.
11. Tazmin Gray - Burleigh Bears
Whenever there’s something about to happen on the field, you can bet Gray will be in amongst it. A passionate player, Gray was equally fired up when running the ball forward and when cutting down her opposition.
12. Jessika Elliston - Tweed Seagulls
Elliston has been a great performer throughout the Holcim Cup, but the Maroons representative saved her best performance until last. A standout leader for her forwards, Elliston got through plenty of work and also scored two tries.
13. Chante Temara – Burleigh Bears
A silent assassin, Temara was outstanding for the Bears and was another who would have caught the eye of the player of the match judges. Always looking to be involved, Temara roamed the field looking for people to tackle and provided a deft hand in attack when required.
14. Tarryn Aiken - Tweed Seagulls
Aiken’s greatest weapon is her speed and footwork, which was on show again in Tweed's final match. When Aiken wasn’t setting up tries, she was scoring them herself, with the attacking live-wire crossing for Tweed’s opening two four pointers.
15. Julia Robinson - West Brisbane Panthers
The powerful centre was the pick of the Panthers in the game, with her three tries helping to keep her side in the game. Her first - from a great individual run - got the Panthers back in the game, while her next two ensured the game was a thriller.
16. Rona Peters - Souths Logan Magpies
A one-woman wrecking ball, Peters was at her defensive best again in the final, showing absolutely no mercy to the Bears.
17. Riutoto Te Hiko - West Brisbane Panthers
The North Queensland Gold Stars recruit stood out in the middle for the Panthers, making a powerful impact during her time on the field.
