Corrimal Cougars captain Tom Carr knows exactly what it takes to perform on grand final day.
The experienced outside back will lead the Cougars into Saturday’s Harrigan Cup Grand Final against Collegians at WIN Stadium as the club attempts to secure its first premiership since 1974.
Carr brings invaluable big-game experience to a Corrimal side preparing for its first grand final appearance since 1989.
The Aquinas Colts junior began his senior football journey with Helensburgh, before going on to play more than 150 NSW Cup matches during a career that included stints with the Illawarra Cutters, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, North Sydney Bears, and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The highlight came in 2023 when Carr was part of the South Sydney side that defeated North Sydney 22–18 in the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Grand Final.
Despite playing on a much bigger stage during his career, Carr says the support surrounding Corrimal’s historic season has given Saturday’s decider a special significance.
“You can tell how much it means to the president, the treasurer, all the staff involved and everyone higher up,” Carr said.
“You can tell how much they love it, how much they support us and get around us.”
Local support builds behind Cougars
The excitement has continued to build across Corrimal during the Cougars’ charge towards the grand final, particularly after a mid-season winning streak established them as genuine premiership contenders.
“We won six or seven in a row, and I think the momentum started building from there,” Carr said.
“Word was getting around that we had some good football going. We would go up to the pub after games for presentations and random people would come up to us saying how good it was and how excited they were for us.
“There’s definitely plenty of support from the locals.”
Carr’s career comes full circle
Carr joined the Cougars for the 2025 season and immediately understood the challenge presented by the Illawarra Rugby League competition, having previously experienced it during his time with Helensburgh.
“I played in it 12 years ago and I don’t think the standard has dropped too much,” he said.
“I was saying to the boys last year that it’s a bloody tough competition. We had won a few trials convincingly and a few boys got their confidence up, but I told them to wait until Round One and not get complacent.
“We’ve come a fair way from there and this year has definitely been a lot better.”
Experience lifts Corrimal’s standards
Corrimal built on the foundations laid last season by adding several experienced players, including Ben Murdoch-Masila, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Reuben Porter (pictured below).
Carr believes their influence has lifted the standards of the entire squad.
“You can tell the experience they bring, but they also bring everyone else up,” Carr said.
“At training and on game day, everyone rises to their level instead of them dropping down. In a competition like this, you need some big bodies, and they have made a lot of difference.”
Former grand final rivals unite
In an interesting twist, Porter was playing for North Sydney against Carr’s Rabbitohs in the 2023 NSW Cup Grand Final. The pair had previously trained together at the Bears before finding themselves on opposite sides in the decider and eventually reuniting at Corrimal.
“Rubes is a legend of a bloke, and he’s been massive for us this year,” Carr said.
“When you’ve got a big middle who can take carries, tackle all day and play 80 minutes, he’s pretty hard to stop.”
The Cougars secured their first minor premiership since 1989 before defeating Thirroul 28–20 in the major semi-final to earn direct passage to the grand final.
Middle battle holds the key
Standing in their way is a Collegians side contesting its second consecutive decider after overcoming Thirroul in last weekend’s preliminary final.
Carr expects the battle through the middle to be decisive, with Collegians boasting an experienced forward pack led by captain Blake Phillips and the Dowell brothers.
“They’ve probably got the best pack in the competition,” Carr said.
“You’ve got Blakey and the Dowell brothers running on the edge. They have plenty of experience, they’re smart and they know what they’re doing.
“With the Dowell brothers coming one after the other, they’ll be pretty hard to stop. That’s what we’ll have to get on top of.
“If we can get them moving around and find some momentum around the ruck, that might be where we find some joy, but it’s easier said than done.”
While Corrimal will enter the match refreshed after a weekend off, Collegians will arrive battle-hardened after navigating three consecutive finals.
Carr believes both preparations carry their own advantages.
“Having the week off helps because we’ll be fresh, but they’ve done it the hard way and that means they’re battle-hardened,” he said.
“When it gets into the grind, they know what they can do, so we’re expecting a big battle in the middle.”
One more premiership to pursue
For Carr, captaining Corrimal to victory would add another grand final triumph to an accomplished career while delivering the Cougars the premiership their supporters have waited more than five decades to celebrate.
“It would be massive,” Carr said.