Matthew Milson reaches his 100th Hostplus Cup match today at the venue where he had one of the most important touches in Norths Devils history.
Milson’s milestone coincides with the grand final against Burleigh Bears at Kayo Stadium.
The Devils are aiming for their fourth premiership in five years, dating back to Milson’s famous swat over the sideline to end the 2021 decider against Wynnum Manly.
The Devils won that game 16-10 in some of the tensest scenes in the club’s long history.
Michael Molo’s try for Norths with seven minutes remaining broke a deadlock before Wynnum began raid after raid on the Devils’ line.
Their final attempt came through a short kick that sat in the air before Milson scampered across and punched the ball out of play. That ended the game and the Devils’ 23-year premiership drought – the longest in club history – and started the period of premiership success.
It was typical coolness from a player who has been integral to the Devils since he returned from a two-season stint with Wynnum to reunite with coach Rohan Smith for the 2025 season.
Milson played off the bench in the 2021 and 2022 grand final wins but has become Smith’s established fullback, starting in every match for the Devils this season.
“Reaching 100 games is a real milestone and Matt does it in a grand final which is a special achievement for a very good player,” Smith said.
“Matt is always a professional and just goes about his business in the best way to help the team.”
The proud Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi man from Sapphire Street, Tingha, is another standout league product from a town that produced the likes of Preston Campbell, Bevan French, Nathan Blacklock and Owen Craigie.
Milson puts his quick feet down to the “rabbiting” and the high-stakes touch footy games that were a feature of Milson’s Tingha upbringing with his seven brothers and sisters, cousins and friends.
Milson and his mates would chase rabbits around Tingha, challenging each other to see how many they could catch. The rabbits were caught by hand and released unharmed.
Milson will figure in the Burleigh defensive game plan because he has been a constant threat for the Devils across the season.
There has been little between the Devils and Burleigh in 2025.
The Bears won both of their regular-season matches – by four points at Burleigh in July after both teams scored four tries and by eight points in August.
The Bears did the same in the 2021 and 2022 regular season, trouncing the Devils by a combined 128-28 in three matches.
But the Devils defeated the Bears in the 2021 preliminary final and 2022 qualifying final on the way to premierships.
Norths will take the same team into the grand final that defeated Wynnum Manly in last Sunday’s preliminary final.
The Bears and Devils scored late to win last weekend, including Burleigh’s two late tries against Redcliffe to convert their minor premiership into another grand final appearance.
Photo by Alan Drinnen
