By Tallon Smith

The Yeppoon Seagulls have won one of the more remarkable Rockhampton District Rugby League Grand Finals by defeating Emu Park 32-29 in extra time at Browne Park on Sunday afternoon.

The win, which is Yeppoon’s fourth premiership in a row, saw the Seagulls come from 18-0 down to lead 28-18 in the second half, before Emu Park struck back with two tries to force the game into extra time at 28-all.

Emu Park fullback Travis Field then stepped up to nail a field goal to put the Emus ahead 29-28 in the first period of extra time.

However it was a try to Yeppoon winger Jacob Voysey-McGrath that was decisive in the end, with the Seagulls capping off one of the most remarkable Grand Finals of any competition in recent memory to extend their title winning streak.

Yeppoon President Steve Stafford said that the win was a “very emotional” one for all involved within the club, particularly given the constant lead changes and dramatic finish.

“We were down 18-0 after 15 minutes, but fought back to 18-10 down at half-time,” he said.

“[Then] we got out to a 28-18 lead in the second half, but they clawed back to 28-all.

“They kicked a field goal in extra time, [before] we scored in the second 5 minutes and won the game.

“It was the most emotional game of footy.”

Speaking on their four titles in a row, Stafford said the club’s sustained success is built around fielding a local squad and nurturing talent, rather than importing players from outside the area.

“We’ve been up there for a while,” he said.

“It comes down to the club being well connected to our juniors, our community, and other sports in town.

“In Yeppoon we have a lot of schools and two junior bases.

“There’s some pretty good young blokes who have been leading the club for a while, we have a good leadership group.

“We have good facilities and good coaches [as well].”

Stafford also spoke of the highlights that the rivalry with Emu Park provided in 2023, including a unique occurrence.

“We played three times this year and drew 20-all twice,” he said.

“The other time, we beat them by two points at their ground.

“It’s the Battle of the Beaches.”

Another strength of the competition is the diverse range of teams who were competing for glory on Grand Final day, with 5 of the league’s 6 clubs represented.

“Nearly every club was represented bar one,” he said.

“We had over 4000 people through the gate.”

In the Women’s Premiership, the Rockhampton Brothers also extended their title winning run to four, defeating Emu Park 34-12.

The Reserve Grade Grand Final saw the Rockhampton Brothers defeated the Biloela Panthers 26-22 to take home the title, whilst the Under 19s went the way of Norths, who defeated Brothers 22-12.

Cover Photo: Yeppoon Seagulls First Grade, 2023 Rockhampton League Premiers (Supplied: Yeppoon Seagulls)