University maintained their 2010 Queensland Premier Rugby supremacy through to the end as they defeated finals debutants Sunshine Coast 19-11 in the grand final at Ballymore.

University always had the measure of the Stingrays, whose only try right on fulltime was the most threatening they had looked all afternoon.

University had led the field all season and it was inevitable that they would prevail against a Stingrays side that had punched above their weight throughout the finals series.

Heavily outgunned and battling to get more than scraps of possession, the Stingrays could thank their own dogged defence along with the wet and humid weather for keeping the notoriously try hungry University attack under control for most of the match.

University opened the scoring early when quick hands put fullback Will Tuffley across in the corner. He missed the conversion but made amends with a penalty before the Stingrays struck back with a three pointer of their own.

Uni wing David Burns was next to score after a slick ball from inside centre Herman Porter put him in the clear. This time Tuffley's conversion bounced off the posts to leave the score at 13-3 to Uni at halftime.

University coach Mick Heenan said getting that early lead was the key in the wet and slippery conditions.

"It was always going to be hard to peg back a lead," Heenan said.

"Rain's always a leveller, I suppose, but I knew that our scrum was pretty solid so the more mistakes, the more scrums really and I knew that was going to be an advantage for us.

"It was just great to get the job done today."

Stingrays Coach Toutai Kefu was proud of the resolve shown by his side.

"The boys' will to win was there, and that's all that matters. There's nothing wrong with losing to a better team.

"I don't think any team would have held them (University) the way they played in the first 20. They threw everything at us. And we knew that (was coming)... we just had to hold on.

"They (University) scored two really, really good tries, but I thought that first 20 minutes our boys defended really well. Mate, they (University) were just the better team."

Second half penalties to Tuffley kept the Red Heavies out of reach, but the Stingrays never stopped trying to restore hope for the large contingent of their blue shirted supporters in the Ballymore crowd of 3,957.

Their determination was rewarded when they finally got an overlap in the dying seconds and wing Tom Cox crossed to add respect to the score.

A Stingrays favourite, replacement hooker Franky Bourke was given the honour of taking the final kick at goal, which ended predictably, shanking off the side of his boot.

University flanker Mitchell Wade won the Tony Shaw Medal as player of the Grand Final.

University 19 (D Burns, W Tuffley tries, W Tuffley 3 pens) d Sunshine Coast 11 (T Cox try, M Stone pen, A Millington pen) at Ballymore. Crowd 3,957.



MAJOR SEMI

University stormed into their first Queensland Premier Rugby Grand Final since 2004 with a 42-17 win over Sunnybank in the qualifying Major Semi-Final at Ballymore.

The Dragons had no answer to the power, speed and precision of the Red Heavies, who maintained the form that has helped them win or draw all but one game all season.

Led from the front by skipper James Hanson and directed expertly by flyhalf Jono Lance, University led 28-3 at halftime after a four try blitz, begun by a spectactular 80m effort created and scored by QR Reds outside back Luke Morahan, the first of his three tries for the match. After a turnover well inside their 22, University shifted the ball wide to outside centre Morahan, who beat an opponent on the outside before chipping and regathering for the opening try.

University's determination was exemplified by a 30m run by Lance, who kept powering on despite twice appearing to have been shut down by the defence, only to pop out of the crush of bodies like an orange pip and continue on downfield.

Sunnybank claimed two late tries through fine individual efforts by outside centre Rota Setu and flyhalf Ben Tapuai, but by then Morahan had already claimed his next two and fullback Will Tuffley had kicked flawlessly to convert every one of University's six tries.

Sunnybank will now have to back up again next Sunday at 3pm against the Sunshine Stingrays in the Preliminary Final, while University have a week off to await a meeting with the winner in the Grand Final on Sunday, September 5 at Ballymore.

University 42 (L Morahan 3, J Hanson, M Chapman, D Burns tries, W Tuffley 6 cons) bt Sunnybank 17 (R Setu, B Tapuai tries, R Kingi pen, J Hofmeyr 2 cons)

MINOR SEMI

The Sunshine Coast Stingrays kept their fairy tale season alive in Queensland Premier Rugby when they eliminated defending Premiers Brothers from the 2010 race with a 37-27 win in the Minor Semi-Final at Ballymore.

The Stingrays will be back at Queensland Rugby headquarters next Sunday to play the winner of the Major Semi-Final between University and Sunnybank.

However they could be forced to play without their captain Gareth Clouston, whose yellow card late in the game made it three for the season, which normally incurs an automatic one week suspension. The Stingrays are considering whether to appeal.

The Stingrays victory over Brothers was based on strong defence, a powerful forward display and what coach Toutai Kefu called their “spirit and camaraderie”. Asked if he would have any problems getting his team up again next week after winning their first ever finals appearance, the former Wallaby and Reds No 8 said that’s the least of his concerns.

“This is uncharted territory for us… but the hard games are the ones that these boys usually play well. It’s the teams that we’re expected to beat that have tended to cause us problems.”

The Stingrays raced out to a 17 point lead before Brothers got on the board, with flyhalf Maurice Stone scoring their two first half tries from good support play.

But Brothers finally got enough ball to apply some pressure and begin their fightback, with tries either side of halftime to lock Matt Dews and flyhalf Dallan Murphy.

The Stingrays had a chance to further extend their lead in the second half but centre Toese Lealamanua was ruled to have lost the ball over the line after a typically powerful midfield bust. Instead it was Brothers’ Nathanuel Gendle who scored next after some typically neat Brothers backplay.

Not to be outdone, the Stingrays showed they had slick hands too, with quick fire passing under pressure for a try in the corner to flanker Matt Blain, followed by another when Tom Cox took advantage of a handling mixup by Brothers near their own goal-line to score the game breaker.

Sunshine Coast 37 (M Stone 2, M Blain, T Cox tries, M Stone 3 pen, 2 cons, A Millington 2 cons) bt Brothers 27 (A Dixon, M Dews, N Gendle, Dallan Murphy tries, Murphy 2 cons, pen)



Sunshine Coast 31 (S Siemonek, M Blain, A Gavegan, C Ralph, T Lealamanua tries, M Stone 3 cons) d GPS 12 (J Ellis, S Miller tries, M Garland con)
Easts 59 d Norths 19 (Scorers not available)
Brothers 31 (S Price, Dallan Murphy, N Gendle, Damon Murphy tries, D Murphy 4 cons, pen) d Gold Coast 27 (M Francis, D Nethery, K Manning, M Langmack tries, D Nethery 2 cons, pen)
Souths 31 (J Tabrett 2, B Hamlin, D Feao, P Kaho tries, C Field 3 cons) d Wests 20 (S Higginbotham, T Bennett tries, I Aokuso 2 cons 2 pens)
University 31 d Sunnybank 12 (Scorers not available)

(University win the Welsby Cup and The Caxton Cup for 2010)

Next Sunday at Ballymore:
Knockout Semi: 3pm Brothers v Sunshine Coast
Major Semi: 5.30 pm University v Sunnybank



Sunnybank 33 (N Ah Wong, R Setu, B Tapuai, M Feaunati, S Sovala tries, B Tapuai 2 cons, R Kingi 2 cons) d Brothers 22 (A McLean 2, S Price tries, D Murphy 2 cons, pen)

Easts 60 (D Skelton 2, J Mullins 2, D Lucas 2, M Seuala, J Parry, J Charalambous, M Brandon tries M Brandon 2 cons, 2 pens) d Souths 19 (D Feao, C Field, F Manu tries, C Field 2 cons)

Gold Coast 17 (J Sykes try, D Nethery 4 pens) d Sunshine Coast 10 (L Fesolai try A Millington con, pen)

University 85 (W Tuffley 2, H Porter 2, G Morseu 2, S Rasolea 2, L Fidow, S Morahan, J Hanson,T Kuridrani, DBurns tries, W Tuffley 9 cons, M O'Leary con) d Norths 10 (U Maninoa, M Flynn tries)

GPS 39 d Wests 27

Brothers 52 (D Murphy 2, D Shipperley 2, N Gendle, A Pyers, J Harvey, A Coady tries, D Murphy 6 goals) d Norths 26 (U Maninoa, M Flynn, J Harris, E La Motta  tries, J Harris 3 goals)

Caxton Cup: University 48 (T Kuridrani 2, D Burns 2, L Morahan 2, W Tuffley tries, Penalty Try, W Tuffley 4 goals) d Souths 17 (A Ongolea, F Manu, D Feao tries, M Zovko goal)

Sunshine Coast 45 (T Cox 2, A Gavegan 2, L Fesolai, C Ralph, T Lealamanua tries, A Millington 5 cons) bt Sunnybank 22 (M Afu, T Murday, L Gill tries, R Kingi pen, J Hofmeyr 2 cons)

Easts 33 (E Quirk 2, B Spearritt, J Mullins, J Charalambous tries, M Brandon 4 goals) d Wests 11 (S Smith try, S Smith 2 pens)

GPS 52 (J Logan 2, M Garland, S Miller, D Slade, T Chalmers, S Satui, J Caldeira-Santos tries, M Garland 5 goals, E Tuqiri goal) d Gold Coast 13 (J Havelu try D Nethery goal, 2 pens)