A generation has passed since Wavell State High last stood at the top of Australian schoolboy rugby league. On Wednesday, the Warriors finally got there again.
Twenty-four years after Wavell won its first national title, another group of students has brought the Schoolboy Cup back to Wavell Heights.
The Warriors defeated NSW champion Endeavour Sports High 20–12 at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe on 16 September, completing a season in which they won the Langer Trophy, the Queensland title and finally the national championship.
The last Wavell team to do it played in 2002.
Back to 2002
Wavell met Terra Sancta College at Aussie Stadium in Sydney on 21 September 2002 and came away with a 22–20 victory.
It was the school’s first national championship and made Wavell only the second Queensland school at the time to win Australia’s premier secondary schools rugby league competition.
The achievement came just a year after Wavell established its Rugby League School of Excellence. Coached by Brendan Barlow, the 2002 side had beaten Patrician Brothers Blacktown to reach the national decider, with Aaron Lewis going on to receive the Peter Sterling Medal that season.
Wavell won another Queensland championship in 2003. The national trophy did not return.
24 YEARS APART
The Long Road Back
There were several deep runs in the years that followed, including a national semi-final in 2014, but the breakthrough finally came this season.
Wavell’s Langer Trophy triumph gave an early indication of what this team could do under pressure. Trailing reigning national champion Keebra Park 18–12 with four minutes remaining in the grand final, the Warriors scored twice to steal a 22–18 victory and end a 12-year wait for the trophy.
Read: Wavell State High’s New Breed Ready to Challenge for Langer Trophy Glory
Eight days later, Wavell overwhelmed St Brendan’s College 32–0 in the Queensland Schoolboy Cup final. Boston Nau scored twice as the Warriors secured their first state championship since 2003.
That left one game.
Wavell Finds a Way Again
Endeavour Sports High arrived in Redcliffe as NSW champion and had Wavell chasing early.
Prop Jamie Curran opened the scoring before Wavell answered through Billo Wotton, leaving Endeavour ahead 6–4 at half-time.
For Wavell, it was familiar territory.
Calvin Harris-Tavita crossed early in the second half before replacement hooker Lincoln Rich followed soon after, putting the Warriors ahead 16–6. Harris-Tavita then kicked two penalty goals to stretch the advantage to 20–6.
Endeavour kept coming and Jackson Haesler scored under the posts late, but Wavell had done enough to close out a 20–12 victory.
Twenty-four years after Wavell’s first national championship, the wait was over.
Another Generation of Warriors
Harris-Tavita finished the season as the Peter Sterling Medallist, adding another connection to the championship team of 2002.
The five-eighth is part of the Brisbane Broncos’ junior system, while Webb is contracted to the Sydney Roosters and Nau is part of the Dolphins academy system.
They are following a well-worn pathway. Greg Inglis, Ashley Harrison, Shane Tronc, Kurt Baptiste, Jayden Nikorima and Karl Oloapu are among the former Wavell students selected for the Australian Schoolboys.
Where the members of this team go next can wait. For now, they have something only one previous Wavell side achieved.
The Schoolboy Cup is coming back to Wavell Heights.
Published 16-September-2026
Read: Discover the Rich History of Wavell State High School
