Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL): Marist Brothers Rams snap 22-year premiership drought

Check out a wrap of the action below.

DEJA VU AS MARIST CLAIMS TITLE

There was a strong sense of deja vu for Marist Brothers fans at Crozier Field on Sunday as the team snapped a 22-year premiership drought by defeating Murwillumbah 20-12 to claim the NRRRL premiership.

As skipper Mitchell Krause held the shield aloft with teammate Paul O’Neill, some old Rams may well have been mistaken for thinking they were seeing double.

Indeed, 22 years ago it was Krause’s father David who lifted the trophy for the side after captaining Marist to a thrilling 42-41 victory over South Grafton in what was then the Group 1 decider.

Back then a young Mitch was also in the thick of the action as Marist’s grand final ball boy.

“It’s fantastic for – I won’t say young Mitch – Mitch Krause,” said Marist Brothers president Al Petty.

“His dad was the captain back in 2003 the last time we won it and then he was the captain in his final game (on Sunday). He’s retiring and to go out like that is great.”

The Krause name is synonymous with the Rams, with Sunday’s grand final victory adding to a very impressive – although somewhat lopsided – family legacy.

“As Dave said, they’ve got eight premierships between them: he’s got seven and Mitch has finally got one, so that was a bit of a laughing point with the old boys,” said Petty.

However the links between the 2025 droughtbreakers and the Rams of the past weren’t restricted to the Krause family.

Jye Davis, Henry Lee, James Durheim and Lennon Bartlett are also sons of former Rams players, with the Marist players of the past making their presence felt on grand final day.

“A lot of the old boys from the 2003 side were here (for the game), which was really great,” said Petty.

“The crowd support and even the whole community support through the week – just seeing the blue and gold around the town after what we’ve been through in the past few years – was just amazing for the community, the town and the club.”

MARIST BROTHERS SNAP TWO-DECADE DROUGHT

Marist Brothers have snapped a 22-year premiership drought and created a slice of history after defeating Murwillumbah 20-12 in the 2025 NRRRL grand final at Crozier Field.

Led by star halfback Shallin Fuller and an outstanding performance by fullback Noah King, the Rams got off to a strong start before being forced to dig deep in defence to hold off a resilient Mustangs outfit to win the club’s first premiership in the NRRRL era and its first A-grade title since winning the Group 1 decider in 2003.

“To our lads, how good,” said Marist Brothers captain Mitchell Krause after the game. “We set out in October, we worked really hard. Lots of ups, a few downs, it didn’t all go our way but look at us now.”

It was a sentiment echoed by fellow senior player Paul O’Neill.

“What a day. Thanks so much to the club. Obviously the crowd was sensational and helped get us home in the end. Thank you so much, lads.”

With Crozier Field covered in blue and gold, the victory was celebrated far and wide as a vocal home crowd cheered the Rams on.

“It was an amazing day, we had fantastic weather and the crowd, they were saying over 3000, which is probably one of the biggest we’ve had in a while,” said Marist Brothers president Al Petty.

“And the boys stuck to their guns and got the win for themselves and the club, so it was just amazing.”

Despite flying high for much of the season and finishing in second place before knocking off Bilambil to book a home grand final, it was far from smooth sailing for the Rams, who were severely disrupted by persistent wet weather in autumn.

“At the start of the year we were behind the eight ball because we played only one game in the first six rounds,” said Petty.

“After that we just had catch-up football the whole way through. We then had two weeks off: Lower Clarence didn’t make it up for the final game, then we had the week off for coming second, so it gave our troops a bit of time to regroup and get over a few niggling injuries.

“So I think the last two games were just testament to the effort the boys have put in and they received the rewards.”

Indeed, the Rams were forced to play six games in the month of June just to try and catch up on the schedule.

The team embraced the challenge and took a mentality of ‘no excuses’ into the busy period. In the end it won five of those six games in a run that instilled a lot of belief and ultimately set up the platform for their premiership run.

“That’s the playing group. They realised by doing the hard work then they’d reap the rewards at the end,” said Petty.

“We had seven sets of six on our own line (in the grand final) and they (Murwillumbah) actually didn’t even look like scoring. And then to come out and still have the energy and fortitude to go forward was great.

“They put in a humungous effort all the way through. I think they started in late October last year, a core group, and that just showed.”

In front of a bumper home crowd in Lismore, Marist shot out of the blocks and forced a line dropout out of their opponents in just their second set of the game.

After a full set on the Murbah line, Rams hooker Paul O’Neill chose not to go to his key playmaker Fuller on the last and instead went to the short side for skipper Mitchell Krause, who bumped off two defenders and then busted through another couple to score the opener after just four minutes.

It had been a dream start for the home side, however a knock-on directly from the kick-off gave Murwillumbah a chance to hit back immediately, with five-eighth Josiah Afu going close with a grubber in behind for himself.

Ahead on the scoreboard, Marist also started to control the contest and make good yardage through the middle as the game developed into a rhythm.

Then at the end of another attacking set the team turned to Fuller, who decided to run the ball and take on the line. Despite seemingly being wrapped up by three Mustangs’ defenders, he somehow popped an offload out to fullback Noah King to score the team’s second to make it 12-0 after 18 minutes.

While the Rams were well on top, a relieving penalty helped Murwillumbah, who themselves were looking to cap off a fairytale finish to the season after finishing in fifth place, up field.

It proved to be a very welcome break as the Mustangs put the ball through the hands for winger Blake Marrison to go over in the corner to halve the deficit.

However when the Rams caught their opponents offside, Fuller added another two to make it 14-6 after 26 minutes.

Things were now going from end to end, and when a good kick forced an error out of Marist, Murbah had a chance to strike.

It one was of their key players who stood up, with Shannon Gardiner showing some nice footwork and strength to bump off a couple and go over half an hour in to make it a two-point ball game.

Fuller once again showed his class with an outstanding 40/20 to give his side one last crack in the half. And while backrower Will Wooley crossed on the left, the final pass from Jye Davis was called forward and the Rams took a 14-12 lead into the break.

Coming back out of the sheds with a two-point lead, Marist Brothers started the second half just like they kicked off the game.

Forward Jack Elwood went close after slicing through the line from a strong run. Later that set he got on the end of a dangerous grubber from Fuller but put the ball down over the line.

Just as it had all season, Fuller’s kicking game was proving dangerous and when the Mustangs let a high ball bounce, it took a wicked turn that evaded the Murwillumbah players and sat up perfectly for Marist’s Nathan Stewart to scoot under the posts seven minutes into the half.

But while the Rams players and fans were celebrating, the referee blew a penalty for offside.

Marist continued to dominate and the local fans were up again shortly after when winger Lachlan Offley dived into the corner to put down a grubber from King. However once again they were denied as the ball was ruled to have gone dead in goal.

But the Rams kept coming and they finally broke through when Fuller took on the line and once again got a crucial late offload away for backrower Wooley to go over on the left edge. The star halfback slotted the conversion to make it 20-12 with 26 minutes to play.

While Marist had all the momentum in the second half, back-to-back errors in consecutive sets put the team under pressure again.

After his team had a dangerous set on the Rams’ line, Murbah winger Connah Mills looked set to score out wide but a great cover tackle from King bundled him into touch.

A few minutes later it was his brother Kobi Mills who came agonisingly close with a charge that was stopped centimetres short.

The Mustangs kept pushing hard to get back into the contest but Marist Brothers’ blue wall held firm.

The defensive efforts proved to be enough as the Rams saw out the final minutes of the game. And while some fans jumped the gun by running onto the field to celebrate with one play still to go, they were soon joined by hundreds as Marist Brothers secured a famous drought-breaking victory.

It was the club’s first A-grade premiership since the thrilling 2003 triumph over South Grafton and first full-competition grand final appearance since the establishment of the NRRRL in 2005.

Meanwhile the loss out an end to an excellent season Murwillumbah, which finished the regular season in fifth place before knocking off last year’s premiers Ballin and minor premiers Cudgen in a stunning run through the finals.

Marist Brothers 20 (Krause, King, Wooley tries; Fuller 4 goals) defeated Murwillumbah 12 (Marrison, Gardiner tries; Lack 2 goals)

JETS DOWN BYRON IN RESSIES THRILLER

Bilambil has capped off its outstanding season in reserve grade by defeating Byron Bay 14-12 in a thrilling grand final.

After getting off to a bright start and racing out to an early lead, the Jets were really forced to knuckle down and turn away the gutsy Red Devils outfit to complete the minor-major premiership double.

“In the first half I thought our defence was unbelievable and that got us to a good position. That’s what we’ve built our season on,” said coach Mark Wood.

“We probably let them back into the game but still managed to get away with the win. It was an amazing day.”

Indeed, Bilambil was forced to test out its defence early after knocking the ball on in the first set of the game.

A penalty shortly after gave Byron another crack at the line, but the Jets’ scrambled well and held them out.

The minor premiers shrugged off the slow start and showed how lethal they are in attack as they shifted the ball left for winger Harry Chadburn to score the opener after seven minutes.

The Jets went in again 10 minutes later thanks to a rampaging run by backrower Toran O’Donnell, who charged through the line and then passed on to halfback Kai Smallwood in support to make it 8-0 midway through the half.

Stung by conceding back-to-back tries, the Red Devils lifted the intensity and built the pressure with repeat sets.

Soon after t thought they pulled one back through Tom Welman, however the young centre dropped the ball over the line.

Byron was starting to find some space through the middle and was making good yardage up field. But once again the Bilambil defence stood up, with a great tackle on the edges stopping another strong run from O’Donnell.

After weathering the storm the Jets almost added to their total late in the half when Jason Byrnes finished off a nice attack. However play was called back for obstruction and they took an eight-point lead into the break.

Byron was after a quick start to the second half and they got exactly that four minutes after the restart when fullback Carne Rhodes put down a bomb and Domenic Lisetto picked up the scraps and dived over to make it 8-6.

From here the Red Devils enjoyed the better of play as Finn Spencer’s kicking game pinned the Jets in their own half and some strong defence rammed home the advantage.

However a relieving penalty helped Bilambil up field, before hooker Tom Condon threw a big dummy from dummy-half half and wrestled his way over to give his side a 14-6 lead with 20 minutes to play.

The Jets had taken a crucial lead but an error in the very next set invited Byron into their danger zone.

Fullback Liam Lenehan went close before another Bilambil error coming out of its own end handed the ball over in dangerous territory.

While the Jets had defended well the pressure eventually told and centre Oli Shakeshaft showed plenty of strength to shrug off a defender and crash over to once again reduce the deficit to just two points with 15 minutes to play.

The Red Devils were full of confidence and went close again as Isaac Wilson was stopped just short.

However just as they’d done so many times throughout the game and season, Bilambil held firm and ground out a nailbiting grand final victory.

It proved to be just reward for the club, which qualified for three grand finals but went down in both the under-19s and women’s tackle fixtures.

“The amount of people and supporters we had down there was so good,” said Wood. “It’s crazy to think that we had three teams in the big one.”

Meanwhile it was once again a bitter pill to swallow for the gallant Byron Bay side, which has now lost the last two reserve grade grand finals.

Bilambil 14 (Chadburn, Smallwood, Condon tries; Smallwood 1 goal) defeated Byron Bay 12 (Lisetto, Shakeshaft tries; Spencer 2 goals)

MULLUM SNAPS 13-YEAR 18s DROUGHT

Mullumbimby has snapped a 13-year drought in the under-18s division, putting in an excellent performance to defeat Bilambil 18-6 in the grand final.

Winger Kyson Freer and halfback Harrison Doherty struck up a lethal combination that proved crucial as the Giants ran in four tries to one to complete the minor and major premiership double and claim the club’s first title in the age group since 2012.

“It caps off a great year. They really deserved it and dug deep,” said coach Damon Scott.

In a game in which the Mullumbimby pack laid the platform for its side, it was the partnership of Freer and Doherty that proved crucial, with the little halfback laying on two tries for his winger before helping to set up another for teammate Noah Johnson with a dangerous bomb.

Despite having the better of possession and field position in the first half, the team led 4-0 at the break before a try two minutes into the second half stretched the lead out to 10.

And while Bilambil pulled one back with an excellent solo try to Pharai Vellere, Mullumbimby rallied and put the game beyond doubt with tries to Noah Johnson and Owen Woods.

It continues an excellent run for the talented group, the core of which has been together since they were eight years old.

“Before the game I said, ‘60 minutes of pain for a lifetime of memories’ and there was no one who put their hand up to come off, they all wanted to stay out there,” said Scott.

Given that more than half the side are playing up an age group, the victory is a fantastic sign for the Giants as a large portion of the group looks to move through the grades in the coming years.

“Hopefully they stick around. It’d be good to get a local contingent back in that first grade team. It’s been a while since we had a full team of locals,” said Scott.

“There will be a few that will step up into first grade next year, which will be well deserved. But a few of them are being looked at by the Titans and other (NRL) clubs too, so that’ll only give them more chances of furthering their career.”

After some lean years in which the club failed to field an under-18s team and collected the wooden spoon as recently as 2023, the win broke a 13-year drought in the age group.

Former Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans hooker Aaron Booth, who was part of that 2012 side, was on hand to give the young Giants some motivation – and perhaps inspiration – ahead of the clash.

“He presented the jerseys to the boys before the game, which was really nice. He’s a champion bloke who had his career cut short by injury,” said Scott.

“Jack Gosiewski was in that team too, he plays for the Broncos. It was a good crop and a few of them have gone on to bigger and better things, so hopefully a few of our boys from this team can match them and continue their path.”

Mullumbimby 18 (Freer 2, Johnson, Woods tries; Doherty 1 goal) defeated Bilambil 6 (Vellere try; Green 1 goal)

‘HECTIC’ FINISH SEALS LEAGUE TAG THRILLER

The first game of the day proved to be the most dramatic as a last-gasp try in the corner handed the Tweed Seagulls a stunning 12-10 victory over Marist Brothers in league tag.

Trailing 10-8 with just 30 seconds left on the clock, the Seagulls appeared dead and buried as they put in a seemingly innocuous kick to complete what many thought was their final set of the game.

However in a stroke of luck the ball was knocked on by the Ramettes, giving the Tweed side one last chance.

Some quick thinking from Bronti McCarthy ensured the team managed to get a quick play-the-ball away, before a shift to the blind side and some quick hands from Ashlee Fraser and Charlie Anthony put Olivia Field over in the corner with just seconds remaining.

“With 30 seconds to go and after having had three tries disallowed I thought it was all over,” said coach Judy McCarthy.

“But then the Marist girl knocked it on and to our credit we quickly got the ball, got it in the right spot, had a quick play-the-ball, got them on the back foot and then threw it out to our winger and she put it down in the corner. It was pretty hectic.”

Indeed, there was some initial consternation over whether Anthony had been tagged before laying off the final pass, with Marist players pleading their case. But when the referee awarded the try it sparked wild celebrations from the Seagulls both on the field and the sideline. “I don’t know how to describe it,” said McCarthy. “We were just waiting and once he awarded it, I breathed the biggest sigh of relief.”

Although some of her opponents might argue otherwise, the Tweed coach is confident the officials made the correct call.

“I’ve looked at that a few times and she did have her hand on the tag but I think the ball was actually passed before she ripped it off. But it was pretty close.”

And while the Seagulls only just secured the win with what proved to be the final play of the game, their coach was extremely proud of their performance.

“I’ve re-watched the game and to the girls’ credit, in the second half Marist didn’t even get over halfway.

“Our defence was just phenomenal, I couldn’t have asked the girls to defend any better.”

The victory backs up the Tweed side’s thrilling 12-6 win over the Ramettes in last year’s grand final to secure back-to-back titles, and entrenches the side as league tag heavyweights in just their second year in the NRRRL.

“It’s really good that we’ve got the premiership and minor premiership two years in a row because the Seagulls have only been in the comp for two years. It’s a huge effort from the girls.”

Tweed Seagulls 12 (Field 2, Gray tries; McAnelly, Hughes tries; Hughes 1 goal)

In other grades, Northern United made it three in a row with a dominant 44-6 win the women’s tackle competition.

Originally published as Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL): Marist Brothers Rams snap 22-year premiership drought