Club Corner is back for the last time in 2023, as we bring the curtain down on an incredible season of premier grade rugby.
Even in the context of Australia's bustling premier grade levels, 2023 has been a special year: clubs in Sydney, Canberra and Perth broke long premiership droughts, clubs went back-to-back in Melbourne and Tasmania, and we witnessed some of the most hotly contested seasons we've seen in a while. It bodes well that next year will be even closer, which is a huge boon for Aussie rugby fans.
For this year, alas there is only one game of premier grade rugby left to play, with the final champion set to be crowned as premiers this weekend in Adelaide.
First up though, the Tasmanian Premier Grade Grand Final last weekend saw Launceston Tigers, who have barely put a foot wrong all season, stamp their dominance on the Apple Isle competition with an incredible 62-19 demolition of their closest rivals, Taroona Penguins. The 10-try masterclass came as a shock to many, considering how Taroona had successfully been able to challenge the Tigers on multiple occasions throughout the year.
A surprise result from the underdogs was not to be, however, and the Tigers ran out deserved winners and back-to-back champions, taking the trophy back to Tasmania's north for another year.
Watch every minute of club rugby on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
COOPERS PREMIER GRADE: GRAND FINAL - BURNSIDE VS. BRIGHTON
Bailey Reserve will be the setting of the final club rugby match of 2023, where Brighton and Burnside will battle for the Coopers Premier Grade trophy.
The Adelaide club rugby season has seen these two teams as the clear front runners, but the chasing pack did ask plenty of questions this year, and none more so than Southern Suburbs. Brighton overcame the Bulls in a titanic contest last weekend, winning 36-27, bringing an end to a positive season for 2023's big improvers and good signs ahead for 2024.
As for this weekend, how this match will go is honestly anyone's guess. Brighton are defending champions and minor premiers for a reason, having had a stranglehold on the competition since 2017. However, only one team has been able to routinely challenge them during that time, and that is Burnside. No more has it been the case than during this year's finals, with their victory over the Tigers in the semis another example of their ability to sting them at the final hurtle.
Brighton will be chasing back-to-back titles and their fourteenth overall, and it really says a lot of their dominance that the next closest is Old Collegians with four premierships. Burnside will be chasing title number three this weekend, and given their form there is plenty to suggest they will get there. Expect a grandstand finish to club rugby in the City of Churches!
Thank you for your support of premier grade club rugby throughout 2023! Here's to an exciting World Cup campaign, and to an even more exciting club season in 2024. Go the Wallabies!
