Corrimal’s remarkable 2026 season will extend all the way to Grand Final day after the minor premiers defeated Thirroul 28-20 in a hard-fought Harrigan Cup Major Semi-Final at Ziems Park.
The victory sends the Cougars into their first top-grade decider since 1989, while Thirroul will get another opportunity next weekend against Collegians, who kept their premiership hopes alive with a dramatic 31-30 win over Dapto at Collegians Sporting Complex.
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Corrimal looked on course for a comfortable afternoon after producing a stunning opening 20 minutes against the Butchers.
The Cougars piled on four unanswered tries to race to a 22-0 advantage, with fullback Lorima Saukuru providing the highlight when he chipped over the defence, regathered and completed a superb solo try to get scoring underway in the third minute.
Thirroul desperately needed something before halftime and prop Sione Afemui provided it, bursting through the middle in the dying stages of the opening half to finally get the Butchers on the board.
The complexion of the game changed further when Corrimal centre Brad Morkus was sent to the sin bin following an indiscretion. Thirroul added a penalty goal to reduce the deficit to 22-8 at the break.
[Watch] Lorima Saukuru light up Ziems Park
Butchers fight their way back
The Butchers carried that momentum into the second half, controlling the early stages before livewire hooker Flynn O’Meara (pictured below) turned their pressure into points.
At 22-14, a match that had appeared firmly in Corrimal’s control was suddenly up for grabs.
The Cougars steadied through winger Saifiti Saifiti, who crossed for his second try of the afternoon to push the margin back out to 26-14 with 20 minutes remaining.
A Saifiti penalty goal made it 28-14 after Thirroul’s Brent Naden was sent to the sin bin for a high shot, but the Butchers still weren’t finished.
Captain Tarje Whitfield powered over from dummy half in the 75th minute to bring Thirroul back within eight points and set up a tense finish.
Corrimal survived the final push to secure the 28-20 victory and complete another major milestone in a season that has already delivered the club its first minor premiership since 1989.
Tabet savours a special victory
Cougars coach Sean Tabet felt his side’s consistency throughout the year had earned them their place on Grand Final day.
“We deserve that win. We’ve been so consistent all year. We had to fight for it, but it was good,” Tabet said.
For Tabet, reaching the decider was particularly significant given the doubts surrounding the Cougars following last season.
“It’s so special, man. There was so much doubt last year, and even going into semi-finals, I don’t think anyone really believed that we would get past the first round, but to come into this year, we just get the boys up and going.”
Corrimal now earns a valuable weekend away from the pressure of finals football, and Tabet said recovery would be the immediate priority following a physical encounter with the Butchers.
“Recovery, man. Freshen up. That was a tough battle, it was physical, so I’m sure the boys, they’ll get in the ice baths on Tuesday. We’ll just get the body right and ready for eighty minutes on grand final day.”
Naden proud of Butchers resilience
For Thirroul, the challenge is to regroup after paying a heavy price for their slow start.
Naden credited Corrimal for their performance but believed the Butchers had made life difficult for themselves with errors and penalties.
“Full credit to Cougars, they turned up today. Just a few silly penalties in the first half, few silly errors in the second half and just chasing our tail all game, couldn’t get in front, but I thought the boys were good. There was a lot of resilience there.”
That resilience was evident in Thirroul’s response after falling 22 points behind, and Naden took plenty from the way his teammates refused to allow the contest to get away from them.
“Throughout the year, that sort of started happening and we could’ve dropped our heads and they would’ve put forty on us.
“We’re proud of the boys, resilient to come back, and to lose by eight being down 22-8 at halftime, proud of them all, mate.”
The Butchers’ focus now switches quickly to Collegians and a sudden-death Preliminary Final.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board, lick our wounds and go to training and then focus on Collies next week,” Naden said.
“See what happens from there, just take it one day at a time, rest the body up and look forward to next week.”
Grant the hero in Collies one-point thriller
While Corrimal and Thirroul were battling at Ziems Park, Collegians and Dapto produced an even tighter contest at Collegians Sporting Complex.
The two sides traded five tries apiece in a Minor Semi-Final that remained deadlocked deep into the closing stages.
Cooper Barnes’ second try of the afternoon in the 66th minute helped set up a grandstand finish, with the scores locked at 30-all.
It was Collegians halfback Blair Grant who eventually separated the teams, calmly kicking the decisive field goal in the 73rd minute to put the Collies ahead 31-30.
Collegians protected that one-point advantage through the closing minutes to end Dapto’s season and book their place in the Preliminary Final.
The result leaves three teams standing in the race for the 2026 Harrigan Cup: Corrimal are safely through to the Grand Final, while Thirroul and Collegians will battle next weekend for the right to join them.
The Lower Grades
Corrimal ensured Win Stadium will be a sea of red and green on Grand Final Day after upsetting minor premiers Thirroul 16-14 at Ziems Park in the Harrigan Plate major semi-final.
Meanwhile, Wests kept their premiership defence alive with a dominant 34-16 victory over Collegians in the minor semi-final at Collegians Sporting Complex.
The Avondale Greyhounds secured their Harrigan Shield grand final berth with a convincing 28-6 upset over minor premiers Norths at Collegians Sporting Complex.
Earlier, Berkeley edged out the Avondale Wombats 16-14, with a dramatic sideline conversion from halfback James Weir at full time sending the Eagles through to next week’s preliminary final.
Preliminary Final Fixtures – Week 3
Saturday, 12 September 2026 | Berkeley Sports Ground
- Harrigan Plate: Thirroul vs Wests, 3pm
- Harrigan Shield: Norths vs Berkeley, 1pm
Sunday, 13 September 2026 | Collegians Sporting Complex
- Harrigan Cup: Thirroul Vs Collegians, 2pm
Photo credit: Denis Ivaneza