2004 Queensland Cup

The 2004 Queensland Cup season was the 9th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition featured 12 teams playing a 26-week long season (including finals) from March to September.

2004 Queensland Cup
DurationMarch 13 – September 18, 2004
Teams12
Premiers Burleigh Bears (2nd title)
Minor premiers Burleigh Bears (2nd title)
Matches played138
Points scored8,022
Top points scorer(s) Damien Richters (246)
Player of the year Brent McConnell
(Courier Mail Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Brent McConnell
Nick Parfitt (22)

The Burleigh Bears defeated the Easts Tigers 22–18 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium to claim their second premiership. Burleigh halfback Brent McConnell was named the competition's Player of the Year, winning the Courier Mail Medal.[1]

Teams

Wests Panthers, who participated in the Queensland Cup since the inaugural season in 1996, withdrew from the competition at the end of 2003. They were replaced by Brothers-Valleys, a club formed in 2002 by the merger of Past Brothers, who played in the Queensland Cup from 1996 to 1998, and the Fortitude Valley Diehards, who originally folded in 1995.[2][3]

The Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys were again affiliated with the Toowoomba Clydesdales, Norths Devils and North Queensland Young Guns respectively.

Colours Club Home ground(s) Head coach (s) Captain (s) NRL Affiliate
 Brothers-Valleys O'Callaghan Park Gary O'Brien Scott Maguire None
 Burleigh Bears Pizzey Park Rick Stone Ali Brown None
 Central Comets Browne Park Neale Crow Wade Rothery None
 Easts Tigers Langlands Park Michael Booth Darren Smith None
 Ipswich Jets Bendigo Bank Oval Trevor Gillmeister Danny Coburn None
 North Queensland Young Guns Dairy Farmers Stadium Adrian Thomson Daniel Strickland North Queensland Cowboys
 Norths Devils Bishop Park Gary Greinke Andrew Hamilton Melbourne Storm
 Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphin Oval Neil Wharton Troy Lindsay None
 Souths Logan Magpies Davies Park Anthony Griffin → Mitch Brennan Jace van Dijk None
 Toowoomba Clydesdales Clive Berghofer Stadium John Dixon Adrian Vowles Brisbane Broncos
 Tweed Heads Seagulls Piggabeen Sports Complex Steve Murphy Marty Stone None
 Wynnum Seagulls Kougari Oval Kelly Egan Damien Quinn None

Ladder
2004 Queensland Cup
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Burleigh Bears (P) 221624725450+27534
2 Norths Devils 221516789503+28631
3 Easts Tigers 221516791540+25131
4 Toowoomba Clydesdales 2214117770543+22729
5 Wynnum Seagulls 221417634583+5129
6 Redcliffe Dolphins 221309774538+23626
7 North Queensland Young Guns 2211110717567+15023
8 Tweed Heads Seagulls 229112512657-14519
9 Central Comets 228014566705-13916
10 Ipswich Jets 227114558620-6215
11 Souths Logan Magpies 225017538922-38410
12 Brothers-Valleys 2201213141060-7461

Finals series
Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue
Qualifying / Elimination Finals
Toowoomba Clydesdales 38 – 42† Wynnum Seagulls 28 August 2004 Clive Berghofer Stadium
Norths Devils 18 – 35 Easts Tigers 29 August 2004 Bishop Park
Semi Finals
Burleigh Bears 17 – 16 Easts Tigers 4 September 2004 Pizzey Park
Norths Devils 18 – 36 Wynnum Seagulls 5 September 2004 Bishop Park
Preliminary Final
Easts Tigers 50 – 24 Wynnum Seagulls 11 September 2004 Langlands Park
Grand Final
Burleigh Bears 22 – 18† Easts Tigers 18 September 2004 Suncorp Stadium

† Match decided in extra time.

 
  Qualifying / Elimination Finals Major / Minor Semi Finals Preliminary Final Grand Final
                                     
1 Burleigh 17  
    Easts 16         Burleigh 22
2 Norths 18     Easts 50   Easts 18
3 Easts 35       Wynnum 24  
Norths 18
4 Toowoomba 38   Wynnum 36  
5 Wynnum 42

Grand Final
Saturday, 18 September
Burleigh Bears 22 – 18
After extra time		 Easts Tigers
Tries:
John Flint 1
Adam Hayden 1
Shane O'Flanagan 1
Nick Shaw 1
Goals:
Reggie Cressbrook 3		 1st: 16 - 6
2nd: 2 - 12
ET: 4 - 0
Report		 Tries:
1 Steve Beattie
1 Steve Renouf
1 Trent Young
Goals:
2 Michael Pearce
1 Dane Campbell
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 9,398
Referee: Tony Maksoud
Man of the Match: John Flint (Burleigh)
Burleigh Bears Position Easts Tigers
Reggie CressbrookFBJason Barsley
Trent PurdonWGSteve Beattie
Jason WebberCESteve Renouf
Nick ShawCEWade Liddell
Aseri LaingWGMichael Pearce
Adam HaydenFEIsaac Kaufmann
Brent McConnellHBDane Campbell
Ali Brown (c)PRCharlie Tonga
Ryan GundryHKTrent Young
Adam WatenePRScott Alo
Martin GrieseSRDarren Smith
John FlintSRScott Sipple
Robert ApanuiLKDallas McIlwain
Shane O'FlanaganBenchMartin Allen
Tony GrayBenchLeigh Coghill
Kris FlintBenchMatt Lockyer
David HicksBenchPaul Dezolt
Rick StoneCoachMichael Booth

Burleigh, who finished as minor premiers for the second season in a row, defeated Easts by a point in their major semi final to earn a spot in the Grand Final, their third since 1997. Easts, who came 3rd in the regular season, defeated the 2nd placed Norths in the qualifying final to set up their match with Burleigh. The loss saw them then face Wynnum in the preliminary final, who they defeated 50–24 to set up a rematch with the Bears in the Grand Final. During the regular season, Burleigh defeated Easts in both of their encounters (46–20 in Round 5 and 36–34 in Round 15).[4]

First half

Burleigh opened the first half strongly when five-eighth Adam Hayden stepped through Easts' defensive line to score in the 6th minute. Three minutes later, Hayden put centre Nick Shaw through a hole to score the Bears' second try. The Tigers got back into the contest in the 20th minute, when hooker Trent Young muscled his way over underneath posts. Burleigh regained their 10-point lead when second rower John Flint burst through to score in the 31st minute as the Bears took a 16–6 lead into the break.

Second half

Easts hit back 10 minutes into the second half when former Australian and Queensland representative Steve Renouf spun through a defender to score in the corner. Micheal Pearce converted the try from the sideline to cut the lead to four. A Reggie Cressbrook penalty goal pushed Burleigh's lead to six, setting up a tense final 20 minutes. With just over a minute to play, Burleigh's Kris Flint attempted a field goal that would've sealed the game for the Bears but missed to the right, giving Easts one last chance. With 30 seconds remaining, Tigers' halfback Dane Campbell put in a chip kick for winger Steve Beattie, who burst through two Burleigh defenders to score. Campbell then converted from out wide to send the game into extra time.

Extra time

Easts had the first opportunity to win the game in the third minute of extra time, when Campbell attempted a field goal then went wide right. Both teams missed multiple field goal attempts before Burleigh prop Shane O'Flanagan barged over to score the premiership-winning try in the 17th minute of extra time.[5][6][7]

Player statistics

End-of-season awards

See also

References
  1. https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/how-the-burleigh-bears-clawed-their-way-to-the-top/news-story/fd0827425cded7f81700658e4d0b01cb
  2. https://leagueunlimited.com/news/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new
  3. https://leagueunlimited.com/news/brothers-valleys-join-queensland-cup-competition/
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20060202020945/http://queensland.rleague.com/results/2004/qld-cup.php
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYZrRvMsi0
  6. https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2014/09/17/grand-final-flashback-epic-in-04/
  7. https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2019/09/24/flashback-renoufs-last-hurrah-for-easts-ends-in-2004-agony/
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