Bears vs Dolphins HPC Preliminary Final Game Report βπΌ Michael Nunn
The UAA Burleigh Bears had Redcliffe rattled early, but once the Dolphins found their rhythm, the reigning premiers simply could not wrestle the game back. Burleigh's season came to an end with a 40-22 loss to Redcliffe in Sunday's preliminary final, but there was plenty of fight in a Bears side that refused to let the Dolphins have it all their own way. Troy Leo got Burleigh off to the perfect start, crossing early to give the visitors a six-point lead and briefly quieten Kayo Stadium. Leo was exceptional with three line breaks and 139 metres for his team.
Then the Dolphins came.
Redcliffe scored three tries in 10 minutes to turn the game around, but Burleigh refused to let the early surge define the contest.
Josh Rogers was at the centre of the response, scoring the Bears’ second try late in the half to keep them within striking distance at 16-12 heading into the sheds.
The Bears were still in the fight.
Then came the moment that shifted the game again.
An LJ Nona intercept turned a Burleigh attacking opportunity into a long-range Dolphins try, and suddenly the red and white machine was rolling downhill.
Trai Fuller then produced the burst that broke the game open, scoring twice in five minutes as Redcliffe stretched its advantage to 38-12.
The Dolphins’ attack was ruthless, but just as damaging was the field position they continued to manufacture.
The red and white sets kept travelling too far, allowing Redcliffe to repeatedly start their attacks deep in Burleigh territory. Once the Dolphins got their noses in front, the scoreboard moved quickly.
Three tries in 10 minutes came again, leaving the Bears with a mountain to climb.
Yet they kept climbing.
Mitch Watson crossed in the 55th minute before Rogers grabbed his second try in the 67th, briefly giving Burleigh hope that an extraordinary comeback might still be possible.
But Redcliffe had too much attacking firepower and too much territory in reserve.
Jake Averillo’s intercept try was the final blow, sealing a 40-22 victory and sending the Dolphins into next Saturday’s Grand Final against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
For Burleigh, it was a cruel ending to a season that had demanded plenty from them.
They had been beaten, but they had not been beaten easily.
They had started brightly, absorbed Redcliffe’s first assault, fought their way back to within four points at half-time and continued to compete when the Dolphins threatened to run away with it.
The scoreboard will show an 18-point defeat, but it will not erase the effort of a Bears team that kept turning up until the final whistle.
Their season is over, and there will be disappointment in that dressing room.
There should also be pride.
This was a team that kept fighting when the game was slipping away, and a group of players who carried the Bears deep into September.
The Dolphins were simply too strong when the momentum swung their way, but Burleigh can walk away knowing they gave everything they had.
For the Bears, the 2026 season ends here.
Not with the result they wanted, but with a team that never stopped competing.
