Day 3 Recap | 2025 National League – Brisbane Bash
Photo by Joep Buijs Photography
The final day of the Brisbane Bash saw a vibrant and vocal audience ahead of the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland derby matches.
Game 17 – Division 1 – Sydney University vs Hunter Wildfires
First up was the New South Wales game, where the refreshed Sydney University and Hunter Wildfires went head-to-head in an incredibly close game. A strategic time out with 6 seconds left in the first quarter and a well-executed play by the Hunter Wildfires saw the level score of 14 all. Sydney’s Kadir Faki was never too far from the score line, but the speed from Hunter’s Cooper Blackwood helped put some space between the score and edge ahead in the second half.
Hunter Wildfires 56 defeated Sydney Uni 52
Photo by Joep Buijs Photography
Game 18 – Division 1 – Melbourne RUFC vs Box Hill RUFC
Big hits early on to set the tone of the match, with Jacinta Richardson everywhere you looked on the court as Shae Graham, Robyn Lambird and Keenan Alexander skilfully blocked Unicorns players with unbelievable energy. But Antonio Vecchio was ready to keep fight right back. With a bigger bench to run, Melbourne was able to play multiple lineups and keep their team fresh and ultimately claim the second half to take the win.
Melbourne RUFC 43 defeated Box Hill RUFC 40
Photo by Joep Buijs Photography
Game 19 – Division 2 – Victoria Thunder vs Queensland Cyclones
The final Division 2 game of the tournament was another thrilling match, with Armaan Dhillon, Dani Hale and newcomer Juttima Chinnasri all bringing a fierce determination to the game. After two wins yesterday, Victoria was roaring and ready to go, claiming the final win of the weekend’s competition.
Victoria Thunder 45 defeated Queensland Cyclones 29
Photo by Joep Buijs Photography
Game 20 – Division 1 – UQ vs Bond University
There was a strong crowd for the highly-anticipated final match of the tournament between our Queensland teams – University of Queensland’s Red Heavies and Bond University’s Bull Sharks. Bond was down Brayden Foxley-Conolly following yesterday’s injury, with Hunter Wildfires player Rio Kovac joining the team in his second game of the morning. Dan Horton played an exceptional final quarter for UQ, and Chris Bond couldn’t be kept away from the score line with an impressive 32 tries across the game. UQ remain undefeated for the 2025 National League.
UQ 53 defeated Bond University 37
Photo by Joep Buijs Photography