31/08/2026
β¨οΈπ 2026 BRL PREMIERS πβ¨οΈ
π§‘π©· Cherbourg Hornets Womens π©·π§‘
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ππ§‘π€ ππππππππ! π€π§‘π
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Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council sends a huge congratulations to our Cherbourg Hornets Women, who have brought the premiership trophy home after a thrilling Grand Final victory in Bundaberg over the weekend.
But this premiership wasn't won in the final few minutes of one game.
It was built over months.
Through pre-season training.
Through cold evenings when turning up wasn't always easy.
Through kilometres travelled between Cherbourg and Bundaberg.
Through setbacks, commitment, discipline, fitness, friendship β and a group of women deciding they were going to keep showing up for one another.
The Hornets Women reached the Grand Final last year but came home without the trophy.
This year they wanted a different ending.
Team Manager Miranda Fisher says the message from the beginning was clear β they had been there before, they knew what it felt like to fall just short, and this time they wanted to bring that trophy home.
Around three months of pre-season training laid the foundation, with the women committing themselves to greater consistency, discipline and fitness.
And behind them was a strengthened coaching and support team.
Coach Ellen Mosby knows the Hornets Women from both sides of the sideline.
A lifelong rugby league lover, Ellen played with the Hornettes before hanging up her boots last year. She originally put her hand up this season simply to help with LeagueSafe, but when the team found itself without a coach, she stepped forward.
For Ellen, preparation and fitness became a major focus.
With players ranging from teenagers through to experienced women, she saw something special developing β younger players learning from the older women, and experienced players helping guide their younger teammates through the difficult days when training, work, family and life all had to be balanced.
That preparation showed when Grand Final day arrived.
Facing Past Brothers from Bundaberg, Ellen's message was simple:
Play smart football.
Make the game easier for yourselves.
Don't spend the afternoon defending when you can control the football and put points on the board.
The Hornettes listened.
They produced a strong opening half and went into the break ahead.
But Grand Finals rarely come easily.
Past Brothers fought their way back into the contest and, with only minutes remaining, the scores were locked at 20-all.
There had been mistakes.
There had been pressure.
But Ellen says one of the things she was proudest of was what happened whenever something went wrong.
Instead of turning on each other, the women communicated, stayed positive and lifted each other back up.
That team spirit helped put them in position for one final opportunity.
Then Captain Sophia Fisher got the football.
Ellen knew what was coming.
Sophia broke through the middle β and she was gone.
A runaway try in the dying minutes delivered the Hornettes their premiership. π
For Team Manager Miranda, there was no single player who won the game.
Across the field, every woman brought something.
Leadership.
Communication.
Strength.
Speed.
Hard running.
Defence.
And the willingness to encourage the woman standing beside her.
That's what makes this win particularly special.
Because the story of the Hornettes is about much more than rugby league.
With no local South Burnett women's competition, most of their season requires travelling to Bundaberg to play. Only two games were played closer to home this year.
That takes commitment not only from the players, but from coaches, managers, volunteers, families and supporters.
And still they kept turning up.
Miranda describes the Hornets Women as a place where women can come together, exercise, clear their minds, support one another and leave life's pressures outside the gate.
Whatever differences may exist away from football, when they walk onto that field they play for Cherbourg.
They become sisters in league.
For Ellen, who has lived and worked in Cherbourg for many years and currently cares for our Elders (at Ny-Ku Byan), this premiership carries another layer of meaning.
She is preparing to return north to be with and care for her mum later this year.
Although Townsville is home, Ellen says Cherbourg has become part of her heart.
And after years as a player and now a premiership-winning coach, leaving the Hornets Women will not be easy.
But, as she says, the story is never finished.
Perhaps there are still more chapters to come.
And the next chapters are already being written.
The Under 13 and Under 15 South Burnett girls also won their Grand Finals, with a strong representation of young Cherbourg players among those teams.
So while we celebrate what our women have achieved, our younger girls are watching too.
They are seeing women from their community train, lead, compete, support one another and succeed.
They are seeing what is possible.
Council is proud to have supported and sponsored the Cherbourg Hornets Women and congratulates every player, Coach Ellen Mosby, Manager Miranda Fisher, the coaching and support team, the Hornets committee, volunteers, families and supporters who have contributed to this season.
And to everyone who travelled to Bundaberg and brought that unmistakable Cherbourg spirit with them β thank you.
To our Hornets Women:
You set the goal.
You did the work.
You backed each other.
You stayed together.
And you brought the trophy home.
Enjoy this one, ladies.... You've earned it.
π CHERBOURG HORNETTES β PREMIERS! π
Many Tribes. One Community. π€πβ€οΈ
