By Riley O’Leary for the Griffith Journal

22 April 2026

There is an overwhelmingly positive outlook within the Griffith Dragons team as they look to kick off the Universities Rugby League Queensland (URLQ) competition with a win this Wednesday.

Off the back of a 13-week preseason, the playing group is confident and ready for what the 2026 season holds.

Explosive centre Liam Sorensen said that there is excitement around the group ahead of the first fixture on Wednesday night.

“The boys are all pretty keen to get around it, all excited to get down for round one of the season,” he said.

“UQ’s a fairly tough team, so yeah, should be good to get around it.

“They’re quite physical as well, so I think the boys are looking forward to that.”

Mr Sorensen said that this energy around the group has led to a strong turnout this year.

“Numbers is a massive thing that I’ve noticed.

“Last year we sometimes wouldn’t be able to get a full bench chance to the game.

“Now, we’ve got boys missing out every week.”

Outside back Fraser O’Neill echoed those sentiments.

“There’s good energy.

“It doesn’t feel like there’s too much pressure.

“There’s just a good vibe all around, you know, mistakes happen, get around each other, it’s no biggie.”

Mr O’Neill believes a fitter, more mobile forward pack will be a major strength for the team in the 2026 season.

“Last year we had a few quite bigger boys that couldn’t keep up with the fitness as well, and this year we have a lot more options really,” he said.

“Options when it comes to bench rotations as well as on top of just who’s actually starting, who we’ve got rotating through on the bench.”

The Dragons will hope to capitalise on this energy in their first fixture on Wednesday 22 April at UQ Field 7 at St Lucia, with the fixture commencing at 7:30pm.

Members of the Griffith community are strongly encouraged to attend and show their support for the Dragons throughout the 2026 season.

Photo credit: Matthew Chirico