The 2025 Harrigan Cup has kicked off in style, with thrilling matches, standout performances, and teams setting a high standard for the season ahead.
With wet weather pausing play across the region last weekend, Angelina Raula reviews every team’s performance over the first third of the competition.
The Front Runners
Collegians have made a dream start to the tournament, remaining undefeated after four rounds. Their dominant form sees them sitting atop the 2025 Harrigan Cup ladder.
Their 28-26 round one win over the defending premiers Wests in the wet was the first of four impressive wins on the trot for new coach Jimmy Grehan.
Led by the Dowel brothers up front and the inspirational Blake Phillips at lock, the return of fullback Callum Gromek has added some class at the back.
The Devils are close on their tail, winning three of their four matches and showing strong form early in the season. After dropping the opening round, they’ve put Thirroul, Corrimal, and De La Salle to the sword.
With the addition of former NRL forward Tepai Moeroa in the engine room and Dane Chisolm steering them around the park, back-to-back titles are not out of the question, even at this early stage.
The Mid Field
De La Salle has shown they will again be a force in the competition, having won their opening two games against Thirroul and Dapto before narrow losses to Collies and Wests.
The Shire outfit boasts a formidable and familiar spine, including Jaz Flavell, Jack A Williams, and Tyler Tamou. Wyndham Peachey, the club’s inaugural captain for their entry into the competition in 2022, provides strike power outwide.
Similarly, Thirroul started with two wins and two losses before last week’s washout. Coach Jarrod Costello has welcomed veteran fullback Wayne Bremner, who will add experience to his new-look side for the remainder of the season.
The Back Markers
After winning their season opener, the Canaries haven’t lived up to their early promise; they’ve since suffered three consecutive losses.
Captain Tom Freebairn and Jackson Rieck have been among the Canaries best performers.
While the Cougars are still searching for their first win, they have shown competitive spirit under new coach Sean Tabet, taking Thirroul down to the wire in Round 4. Ill-discipline has hurt them at times.
Try Time: The Leading Try Scorers
Individual talent has been on full display, with several players possessing a handy knack for crossing the stripe. The Devils Phoenix Vetenibua-Finnerty leads the way with an impressive 8 tries, including a four-try haul and a hat-trick. From Collegians, Nic Hall (5 tries), James Lee (5 tries), and Joshua Dowel (4 tries) form a potent try-scoring trio that has fuelled their unbeaten run. Other notable scorers include Devils winger Colby Pellow (4 tries) and Dapto pair Thomas Freebairn and Jason Gillard with 3 tries each.
Collegians halfback Blair Grant (pictured) is the competition’s leading pointscorer with 46 from one try and 21 goals.
Top Try Scorers
The Harrigan Cup resumes this weekend with Round 6 after the washout round was moved to the weekend of 12 July.
Harrigan Cup Match Centre
