In a warm-up for the NSW Koori Knockout, teams from across the region gathered in Canberra over the weekend for the 2026 Queanbeyan Kanberri Connections (QKC) Rugby League Knockout.
And it was the western Sydney Mud Dogs who claimed the top honours, overcoming the Ivanhoe Emus in a bruising final.
The Emus were spearheaded by former Canberra Raiders forward and Indigenous All Stars captain Joel Thompson, but it was the Mud Dogs who held their nerve when it mattered most, taking out the title in front of a passionate crowd.
This year’s QKC carnival saw heavy-hitting local and regional teams from Cowra, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, and Sydney including: Galari Bloodlines, One Mob, Dinawans Connections, One Lation, Western Sydney Connections, Boomanulla Raiders, Googong Goannas, Narrungdera Wanderers and Bryce Simpson Memorial.
The highly anticipated, single-day tournament also saw women's exhibition matches and a strong contingent of junior divisions spanning three separate age groups.
Beyond the fierce on-field rivalry, the event once again served as a vital cultural touchstone for the local ACT community as a vibrant celebration of family, community, and First Nations rugby league heritage.
Teams battled it out for the prestigious Noel “Bomber” Ingram Shield - with the hard-fought matches carrying added meaning with the tournament returning to Boomanulla Oval — a historically significant site for the region's Indigenous community.
For ‘Bomber’ - an iconic figure and stalwart of the local community for several decades – this year’s knockout carried special celebration.
“This is where it first started about 25 years ago, I started it up, it used to be called the Harold ‘Crow’ Williams Knockout in those days, and now they’ve named the knockout after myself which I’m very proud,” he said.
“And to hold it back here at Boomanulla – Boomanulla isn’t Boomanulla - it’s home.
“Home to all us people, home to our community, this is where we are, this is where we live - it means bringing it back home,” Bomber concluded.
Decades of Indigenous rugby in the nation's capital
According to the Knockout’s co-ordinator Aaron Davidson, the return to Boomanulla Oval is a perfect meeting of the sporting and cultural history of the region.
“Particularly for Canberra, I think rugby league was a central part of this community when a lot of people started coming here for Aboriginal Affairs - we had a lot of Rugby League teams that were established here,” he said.
“I think there’s a bit of a flow on effect in that people and generations just stayed involved in rugby league and even now people love coming out and watching the games - so to be back at Boomanulla makes it even more perfect, we’re happy!”
Despite the grand final loss, for the Ivanhoe Emus and Joel Thompson, just participating in this year’s tournament was a significant achievement.
“This year meant more - we played in memory of Ash Clark, who was sitting around the fire out camping with us when we first talked about bringing the Emus back after 20 years.”
“We also played for all those we’ve lost over the years from our little community,” he said.
In other results, Western Sydney Connections took out the Repechage Competition, defeating the Boomanulla Raiders in the final.
Individual Awards for the Carnival went to:
- Darren Ingram Best Forward won by Bailey Hartwig (Ivanhoe Emus)
- Dale Huddleston Best Back won by Luke McDonald (Mud Dogs)
- Brad Keed Rising Star won by Porourangi Waharai (Ivanhoe Emus)
- Mal Wighton Best & Fairest won by Troy Dargin (Mud Dogs)
