Bears vs Magpies BMD Grand Final Game Report ✍🏼 Michael Nunn

In a Grand Final that ebbed and flowed for 70 minutes, Lilianah Lewis became the Magpies’ hero when she calmly slotted the match-winning field goal to deny the Bears after they had twice fought their way into the lead.

For Burleigh, there was plenty of individual brilliance to go with the collective heartbreak, none more so than fullback Sienna Laing, who produced a hat-trick to repeatedly drag the Bears back into the contest.

Souths Logan came out firing, with Alessana Betham crossing after 10 minutes before Ngatokotoru Arakua extended the advantage eight minutes later. With Skyla Adams converting both tries, the Magpies had opened up a 12-0 lead and threatened to put Burleigh under enormous pressure early in the decider.

Laing had other ideas.

The Bears fullback crossed in the 22nd minute and then again just four minutes later, producing the attacking spark Burleigh needed to transform the game. Her second try levelled the scores and shifted the momentum back towards the Bears.

The Laing family then produced another memorable Grand Final moment when Sienna’s sister Ebony crashed over in the 36th minute to put Burleigh in front for the first time.

Souths Logan responded immediately, with Lilianah Lewis crossing on the stroke of halftime before Adams converted to give the Magpies an 18-16 advantage at the break.

Burleigh refused to allow the deficit to grow after halftime, but Souths Logan continued to find ways through the Bears’ defensive line. Carayanidis Ta’Akimoeaka-Pulu crossed in the 44th minute to push the Magpies six points clear before Laing completed her hat-trick seven minutes later.

Felice Quinlan then crossed just three minutes later as Burleigh regained the lead, before Shannon Muru added another in the 57th minute to put the Bears 30-24 ahead.

Muru had already established herself as an important part of the Burleigh pack during her first BMD Premiership season, and her try was reward for a season in which she had made 146 tackles, four line breaks and five offloads before the Grand Final.

With the Bears sitting six points clear and the clock winding down, the premiership appeared to be within their grasp.

Souths Logan refused to go away.

Keira Rangi crossed for the Magpies in the 63rd minute and Adams converted to level the scores at 30-all, setting up a frantic final seven minutes in which neither side could find the decisive breakthrough.

The game went to golden point with both sides having scored six tries apiece, but there was still nothing separating them after 70 minutes.

Lewis took the opportunity when it came, finding enough space to attempt the field goal and sending the ball between the posts to end one of the most dramatic BMD Premiership Grand Finals in recent memory.

For Burleigh, the result was particularly painful given the way the Bears had fought their way back into the game. After conceding the opening two tries, they scored three of the next five tries to move from 12-0 down to a 30-24 lead, with Laing’s three-try performance at the centre of the comeback.

The Bears had also endured a demanding road through the finals, dismantling the Mackay Cutters 44-0 before edging reigning premiers Brisbane Tigers 24-22 in a tense preliminary final to earn their place in the decider.

Teaghan Hartigan was again required to shoulder a significant workload through the middle, having made 257 tackles during the regular season, while Muru and the rest of the Burleigh pack were forced to produce the hard carries and defensive effort that had become a feature of the Bears’ season.

Ultimately, Burleigh’s 30 points were not enough to secure the premiership, despite the Bears fighting back from 12 points down and twice finding a way to wrestle control of the contest.

For the Bears, the 2026 season ends in agonising fashion, but their Grand Final performance showed just how close they were to claiming the premiership after refusing to surrender at any stage of a remarkable decider.