Greater Northern League Grand Final Preview

The 2026 Greater Northern League season reaches its conclusion at the Aurora Energy Northern Hockey Centre on Saturday, with Queechy Penguins featuring in both Grand Finals.

The Women’s decider will see the undefeated Penguins face South Burnie, before Burnie Baptist chase a perfect season against Queechy in the Men’s Grand Final.

Defending premiers Queechy Penguins will look to complete an undefeated season and win a third successive GNL premiership when they meet South Burnie in the Women’s Grand Final.

The Penguins booked their place in the decider with a thrilling 5–4 victory over their grand-final opposition in South Burnie in the second semi-final a fortnight earlier. In one of the games of the season, Queechy were pushed all the way before prevailing to earn a week off and direct passage to the Grand Final.

South Burnie responded strongly in last weekend’s preliminary final, defeating Launceston City 1–0 at McKenna Park to secure another opportunity against the reigning champions.

The sides have been closely matched throughout 2026. South Burnie’s only regular-season defeat came against Queechy in Round 6, while their other two meetings ended in draws, including a 1–1 result in the final round of the regular season.

Their high-scoring semi-final demonstrated the attacking quality both teams possess and provided a dramatic preview of Saturday’s premiership decider.

Queechy enter with an unbeaten record and the advantage of a week’s rest, but South Burnie have shown throughout the season that they are capable of pushing the defending champions to the limit.

Burnie Baptist stand one victory away from completing a perfect season as they face Queechy Penguins in the Men’s Grand Final.

The defending premiers dominated the regular season, winning all 16 matches and finishing with an imposing goal difference of +80. Baptist then advanced directly to the Grand Final with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Queechy in the second semi-final.

The Penguins earned their rematch by defeating South Burnie 3–2 in last weekend’s preliminary final, keeping their premiership hopes alive and setting up another showdown with the competition’s benchmark side.

Baptist have won all three meetings between the teams this season. They powered to a 9–2 victory in Round 2 before recording a 3–0 win in Round 10, although Queechy closed the gap considerably in their finals encounter.

That performance will give the Penguins confidence that they can challenge Baptist on the biggest stage. However, they will need to become the first team all season to defeat a side now just one win away from completing a flawless campaign.

For Baptist, victory would secure consecutive premierships and a perfect 18–0 season. For Queechy, it represents one final opportunity to produce the upset that has eluded every challenger in 2026.

Saturday 12 September

Aurora Energy Northern Hockey Centre

Women: Queechy Penguins v South Burnie 12:30pm,

Burnie Baptist v Queechy Penguins, 2:30pm