A week after edging out a valiant Mounties outfit in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW Grand Final, the Illawarra Cutters headed to the big stage of ANZ Stadium to take on Queensland’s Intrust Super Cup premiers, the Burleigh Bears.
Held on NRL Grand Final Day in front of thousands of spectators, there was no shortage of pressure for the Cutters; no NSW team has won the NRL Intrust Super State Championship since its inception in 2014. Determined to assert the Intrust Super Premiership NSW as the premier state-based competition in Australia, the Cutters spent little time celebrating their victory over Mounties and got to work preparing for the Bears. What followed was a dominant display that no one could have expected.
Running in five unanswered tries in the first half, the Cutters proved unstoppable from the first whistle, with backs and forwards alike sharing in the points. The contest would finish at 54-12 as halfback Drew Hutchison earned man-of-the-match honours, undeniably becoming the premier second-tier team in the country.
Click here to view the highlights of the NRL Intrust Super State Championship
