The 2007 Queensland Cup season was the 12th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition, known as the Queensland Wizard Cup due to sponsorship from Wizard Home Loans featured 11 teams playing a 26-week long season (including finals) from March to September.
The Tweed Heads Seagulls became the first team from outside of Queensland to win the Queensland Cup when they defeated the Redcliffe Dolphins 28–18 at Suncorp Stadium. Tweed Heads' Shannon Walker was named the competition's Player of the Year, winning the Courier Mail Medal.Queensland Rugby LeagueWizard Cup Heads South Retrieved 17 Dec 2007
Teams 11 teams participated in the Queensland Cup again in 2007, with the Aspley Broncos replacing the Toowoomba Clydesdales.
Colours Club Home ground(s) Head coach(s) Captain(s) NRL Affiliate Aspley Broncos Suncorp Stadium Mark Gee Nick Kenny Brisbane Broncos Burleigh Bears Pizzey Park Jim Lenihan Ryan Gundry Gold Coast Titans Central Comets Browne Park Steve Anderson Wayne Barnett None Easts Tigers Langlands Park Michael Booth Trent Young None Ipswich Jets QLD Group Stadium, Carrara Stadium Kevin Walters Danny Coburn Gold Coast Titans North Queensland Young Guns Dairy Farmers Stadium Matt Parish Shane Muspratt North Queensland Cowboys Norths Devils Bishop Park Kevin Carmichael Marc Brentnall Melbourne Storm Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphin Oval Anthony Griffin Troy Lindsay Brisbane Broncos Souths Logan Magpies Davies Park, Brandon Park Jason Burnham & Brandon Costin Cameron Joyce None Tweed Heads Seagulls Piggabeen Sports Complex Troy McCarthy Andrew Moroney, Brad Davis Gold Coast Titans Wynnum Manly Seagulls Kougari Oval Shane McNally Jimmy Ahmat None
Ladder 2007 Queensland Cup Team 1 North Queensland Young Guns20 15 0 5 2 566 355 +211 34 2 Redcliffe Dolphins20 14 0 6 2 516 338 +178 32 3 Tweed Heads Seagulls (P)20 13 1 6 2 546 404 +142 31 4 Ipswich Jets20 13 1 6 2 510 400 +110 31 5 Easts Tigers20 11 0 9 2 426 448 −22 26 6 Aspley Broncos20 10 1 9 2 469 441 +28 257 Burleigh Bears20 9 0 11 2 550 478 +72 22 8 Norths Devils20 8 1 11 2 507 524 −17 21 9 Wynnum Manly Seagulls20 8 0 12 2 399 539 −140 20 10 Souths Logan Magpies20 5 0 15 2 384 580 −196 14 11 Central Comets20 2 0 18 2 310 666 −356 8
Finals series HomeScore AwayMatch informationDate and timeVenue Qualifying Finals Ipswich Jets 18–16 Easts Tigers 25 August 2007 QLD Group Stadium Redcliffe Dolphins 22–18 Tweed Heads Seagulls 25 August 2007 Dolphin Oval Semi-finals North Queensland Young Guns 18–28 Redcliffe Dolphins 31 August 2007 Dairy Farmers Stadium Tweed Heads Seagulls 40–14 Ipswich Jets 1 September 2007 Piggabeen Sports Complex Preliminary Finals North Queensland Young Guns 10–34 Tweed Heads Seagulls 8 September 2007 Langlands Park Grand Final Redcliffe Dolphins 18–28 Tweed Heads Seagulls 15 September 2007 Suncorp Stadium
Grand Final
Redcliffe DolphinsPositionTweed Heads Seagulls Ryan Cullen FB Shannon Walker2. Alwyn Simpson WG 2. Nathanael Barnes3. Matt Harris CE 3. David Myles4. Nick Emmett CE 4. James Wood5. Rory Bromley WG 5. Josh Vaughan6. Daniel Green FE 6. Brad Davis (c)7. Chris Fox HB 7. Tim Maccan8. Troy Lindsay (c) PR 8. Roy Friend9. Mick Roberts HK 9. Matt King10. Adam Starr PR 10. Chris Enahoro 11. Nathan Tutt SR 11. Will Matthews 12. Danny Burke SR 12. Selasi Berdie13. Grant Flugge LK 13. Matthew Pow14. Pat Gardner Bench 14. Andre Amato15. Mark Shipway Bench 15. Matthew Austin16. Palmer Wapau Bench 16. Daniel Molenaar17. Marty Turner Bench 17. Daniel EvansAnthony Griffin Coach Troy McCarthy
Reigning premiers Redcliffe, who finished the regular season in 2nd, were the first team to qualify for the Grand Final after defeating Tweed Heads in Week 1 and North Queensland in the major semi-final. It would be their nine Grand Final appearance in 12 seasons. After losing to Redcliffe, Tweed Heads faced Ipswich in an elimination final, which they won 40–14. A week later, they scored a major upset over minor premiers North Queensland to progress to their first Queensland Cup Grand Final appearance.
First half Redcliffe opened their premiership defence strongly when halfback Chris Fox scored in the ninth minute. Tweed Heads hit back in the 18th minute when David Myles latched onto a Tim Maccan grubber to score. The Seagulls moved into the lead for the first time when captain Brad Davis stepped through some soft defence to score under the posts. Tweed Heads extended their lead to 12 just seconds before half time when Davis sent Myles over for his second try of the game.
Second half The Dolphins got the scoring underway in the second half when centre Nick Emmett dived onto a kick from his winger Alwyn Simpson to get Redcliffe back into the contest. 10 minutes later, Tweed Heads pushed the lead back to 12 when the competition's Player of the Year Shannon Walker backed up a Maccan line break to score. Walker sealed the game for his side just five minutes later when he returned a Dolphins' kick 80 metres to score in the corner. Redcliffe gave themselves a small chance late when winger Rory Bromley crossed in the 74th minute but it wasn't enough as Tweed Heads won their first premiership. They became the first club from outside of Queensland to win the competition.
Seagulls' captain Brad Davis was named Man of the Match and awarded the first ever Duncan Hall Medal, named in honour of the Hall of Famer, who played 24 games for Queensland and 22 Tests for Australia.
The loss in the Grand Final would effectively end the Redcliffe Dolphins dominant run in the Queensland Cup. From 1996 to 2007, the club won five premierships, appeared in nine of 12 Grand Finals and won three minor premierships. They would not qualify for another Grand Final until 2012 and would not win another until 2018.
End-of-season awards
Courier Mail Medal (Best and Fairest): Shannon Walker ( Tweed Heads Seagulls) QANTAS Player of the Year (Coaches Award): Trent Young ( Easts Tigers) Coach of the Year: Anthony Griffin ( Redcliffe Dolphins) Rookie of the Year: Shannon Walker ( Tweed Heads Seagulls) Representative Player of the Year: Shane Muspratt ( Queensland Residents, North Queensland Young Guns)
See also
Queensland Cup Queensland Rugby League
References