The Norths Devils became just the third Queensland club to win the NRL State Championship with a thrilling 20-18 win over the Newtown Jets at Sydney’s Accor Stadium today. It was four tries each in a tough contest, with the Jets holding the lead right up until six minutes from full-time.

The NSWRL CABE Under-19s Men’s Player of the Year for 2022, Oryn Keeley, emerged the hero for the Devils with two second-half tries that helped steal the win. The Devils' victory ended a seven-year drought for Queensland clubs in the annual Grand Final day fixture.

Since the State Championship began 10 years ago, bringing the champions of the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup face-to-face, Queensland clubs have only won three times: Northern Pride over Penrith Panthers in 2014, Ipswich Jets over Newcastle Knights in 2015, and now the Devils.

The Jets won the State Championship in 2019 and today were trying to win their second trophy in a week, after they defeated North Sydney Bears 28-22 in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Grand Final last Sunday.

Players wore black armbands and there was a minute’s silence for former Jets president Barry Vining, who led the club for 32 years (1986-2018), but passed away after suffering a heart attack last weekend.

Norths Devils' Early Lead

The Devils started strong, scoring first when halfback Jack Ahearn sent a lovely short pass right into Kumuls international, Jeremiah Simbiken’s hands. The lead could easily have doubled minutes later when Lipp split the line and linked with Jack Wright metres out, but for the five-eighth fumbling as he tried to gather the ball in.

Newtown Jets Dominate the First Half

But most of the rest of the half was Newtown’s. Stonestreet scored his side’s first four-pointer in the 16th minute after he and fullback Liam Ison twice traded the ball between themselves in a 90-metre movement. Then seven minutes later a flick-pass from prop Braden Hamlin-Uele, as he was falling to the turf, put his No.7 Niwhai Puru over.

In between Stonestreet’s second in the 31st minute came one of the tackles of the 2024 grand final – hooker Jayden Berrell brought down Lipp and rolled him into touch with the line open after the Devils’ No.1 had stepped three Jets defenders. The Stonestreet double laid the foundation for the Jets’ 14-10 lead at halftime. They had scored three spectacular tries in the opening 40 minutes, but ill-discipline through a forward pass and a knock-on gifted the Devils with a ‘coach-killer’ try to fullback Jordan Lipp just seconds out from the halftime siren.

Second Half Turnaround

In the second half, Stonestreet scored his third through nice ball movement down the short side, to set up an eight-point lead (18-10). But again Jets mistakes invited the Devils to set up camp on Newton’s line leading to a try for Keeley, who busted through three defenders. The lead narrowed to just two points with 20 minutes left (18-16). Keeley's try was his fifth of the year.

Berrell emerged the saviour once again getting his hands under the ball, carried by Devils centre Jacob Gagan, to prevent a try with 10 minutes to play. But off the back of another Jets error, the Devils worked their way upfield with Keeley running another great line to score his second in the 74th minute and tip the scale the Devils’ way 20-18. That ended up being the match-winner and the Devils celebrations began. The victory came just moments after the Devils were denied one on the other side of the field, after Jacob Gagan was held up over the line by an all-time try-saver from Niwhai Puru.

Oryn Keeley: The Hero of the Day

With his side roaring home but looking destined to be denied a dream finish, Oryn Keeley delivered. No matter what he goes on to achieve in his career at NRL level, this will be a try he never forgets.

State Championship Grand Final: Key Talking Points

The game was not without controversy, with a late call against the Jets souring the Devils’ win. Trailing by two late in the game, the Jets were attacking Norths with just over a minute to go when referee Liam Kennedy ruled Jayden Berrell lost control possession when collecting a play the ball. However, replays later showed Berrell maintained control of the football, although at that point the Jets had exhausted all their challenges, meaning Kennedy’s decision stood.

Here are three of the biggest talking points from the game.

More Than Just Okay

Oryn Keeley has only played six games for the Dolphins but he’s set to see a lot more action in 2025 after he dominated the State Championship with an electric performance on the left edge for the Devils. There’s a lot to like about the youngster from Gosford who runs hard, hits harder and is an attacking weapon after he scored two tries and set up another. Keeley kept his side in the contest with an epic offload to set up Jordan Lipp on the stroke of half-time, and he was at it again with 25 minutes to go when he shrugged off several defenders to score before he stole the win with a great line run.

Jets Crash Land

The Jets have come crashing back to Earth after last week’s thrilling win in the NSW Cup final over the Bears. Things looked so promising for Newtown with Puru nailing a 40/20 and then diving off after a Braden Hamlin-Uele offload, but poor goal-kicking proved costly for the NSW Cup champions with Puru missing three of his four attempts. Too many errors in the second half proved costly for the Jets whose fans were on the edge of their seats when Billy Magoulias got the ball in the final minute, but he wasn’t able to replicate his heroics from a few years ago.

Not So Rocky Road

The Sharks are well stocked for outside backs going forward, but Sam Stonestreet showed once again that he’s ready to step straight in if one of their star wingers goes down. Stonestreet made his debut earlier this year and scored eight tries in his five appearances, including three consecutive doubles. The local junior is still contracted for one more year but there could be interest coming his way after he scored a hat-trick on Sunday, including a stunning team try in the first half. The lanky speedster didn’t have to do much for his second and third tries, but his first was a thing of beauty which started on Newtown’s own 10-metre line and featured some quick hands down the right edge before Stonestreet slammed the ball down.

The Norths Devils' victory was a testament to their resilience and determination. The team showcased a strong performance in a nail-biting match, proving themselves to be worthy champions. Keeley's performance, in particular, was remarkable, demonstrating exceptional talent and skill. The win not only secures the State Championship title for the Devils but also marks a significant victory for Queensland rugby league. The Devils will now have their sights set on building on this momentum, and the future looks bright for this talented squad.