By PETER ROWE
The 2025 NRLWA Fuel to Go and Play Premiership grand final will be a battle on and off the field – a battle between two well balanced sides who have shone throughout the season, and a battle of minds between two very impressive Kiwi coaches.
Minor premiers South Perth, seeking to win their first premiership since 2014 and premiership new boys Willagee Bears, who haven’t won a first grade flag since 1984.
And the coaches? On one bench will be Duane Gwiazdzinski, a soft talking former junior Kiwi and on the other a younger Nelson Davis, who like Gwiazdzinski has come through the Auckland system, played and then coached before heading across the ditch to Australia.
Duane Gwiazdzinski / Photo – Carmel Potter-Green
Davis was the youngest International coach in Auckland at 16, coaching his brother. Gwiazdzinski played at mostly centre in both codes and was a New Zealand Under-20s union player.
Both have pedigree and quality and both want to win this season’s grand final.
At South Perth change has seen the return of a winning format. From woodeon spoon in 2024 to 80 minutes from a premiership.
“It’s been a good year,” Gwiazdzinski said after his side had gone through a light training session on Tuesday evening.
Jayden Evans / Photo – Carmel Potter-Green
“We’re together and focused. We have a good blend of experience and youth and we will keep doing what we have been doing well all season.”
There has been no changes in game preparation since their major semi-final win over North Beach two weekend ago. And they will start with the same side that won that game.
“We’ve not been here for a long time and there is probably a lot of expectation on us, but we are taking it all in our stride,” Gwiazdzinski said.
“We’re not going to be changing anything now. We’ll keep our routines normal, meet up 90 minutes before the game, go through the warm-ups and go and do our jobs.”
Gwiazdzinski is remarkably calm about the whole process, but he knows he has some quality and experience in his side capable, on the day, of doing the job and winning a premiership.
Mason Hiko & Ceri Cummings / Photo – Carmel Potter-Green
He has arguably the best half in the competition in Samisoni Langi, the best hooker in Jayden Evans and probably the best defensive centre in Logan Barclay. Add big forward Mason Hiko, halfback Harry Debique and a squad brimming with exuberance with a desire to win, and it is little wonder they are the favourites.
Players like Ceri Cummins and Marc Fariu, who won a premiership back in Auckland. And Halam Day, a lad from Leeds in England who never thought he would be playing in a grand final when he turned up for pre-season training.
“The centre clash between Logan Barclay and John Leota should be a highlight of the day as will the halfbacks of Soni (Langi) and Kainoa (Gudgeon),” Gwiazdzinski said.
A point not lost on Bears coach Davis.
“The best attacking centre versus the best defensive centre,” Davis said.
Nelson Davis / Photo – Nelson Davis Facebook
“There are a lot of good matchups in this game. We know what we have to do. South Perth do the hard stuff very well. They are a high percentage team and they will try and force us into errors.
“We have to control what we can control.”
Davis will start the same team that beat Fremantle and North Beach on their longer route to the final.
He admitted there were a few sore bodies after that preliminary final victory, but has seen how the momentum has driven his side relentlessly forward.
Andrew Bannister & Harry Debique / Photo – Carmel Potter-Green
“It’s more niggles than anything,” he said, then joked that hooker Andrew Bannister’s legs looked as if they had been attacked by a crocodile.
The Bears welcomed several members of their 1984 premiership-winning side to a special dinner on Thursday evening as they sought to use the history and culture of the club to inspire this group of players.
“A lot of ex-players and members are flying into Perth for the game – it’s big,” Davis said.
“We’ve had to take the long route to get here, but it’s been worth it, although after our round one loss to the Lions I did wonder if we had made the right move in stepping back up to first grade.”
John Leota / Photo – Eye Capturing Photography
Davis remembered how the 2018 season went, when the club lost every first grade game. He didn’t want to see that again.
“It was a wake-up call for all of us. We beat Joondalup in the next game and it grew from there. By round five I thought ‘we can do this’.”
Gwiazdzinski has also become aware of what a win can do for his club. A solitary grand final appearance in 2021 when they lost in overtime to North Beach is their only significant achievement in over a decade.
“It’s very important for so many people at the club. But we’re not over-indulging. There’s a job to be done. We have enough experience to know what it’s all about,” Gwiazdzinski said.
And is there a message from the coach before they run out, a few minutes before kickoff?
“I tend to let the players do that -the leaders in the team. I have confidence in them to do their jobs.”
Willagee’s pre-game will be slightly different. They will have a pre-game lunch at the club before travelling together on the team bus.
Tamaho Teirney / Photo – Carmel Potter-Green
“A few players have their own pre-game rituals. One likes to have a snooze a couple of hours before kick-off,” Davis admitted.
“For us it will be about tradition and togetherness. We’ve come a long way in a few months, blended together players who were reserve grade last season with a few new boys.”
The addition of Gudgeon allowed the club to recruit from both league and union and there is little doubt the plan hatched in the spring of 2024 has worked.
“It’s a bit surreal, especially when we said at the start of the year we were stepping up to first grade to win it,” Davis said, joking that sometimes you have to ‘careful what you wish for’.
Kelvin Coleman / Photo – Total Sports Photography
“But we are here and we’re not satisfied yet. There’s a job to be finished.”
And with the experience of Gudgeon, power of centre Leota & unpredictability of Kelvin Coleman and Tamaho Teirney, plus the youthful excitement that comes from youngsters like Blake Wadwell and Tremayne Kamso, it could well be their day.
Just as it could be a victory for pre-game favourites South Perth in a game that has the hallmarks of being a grand final classic.