Junee Jaguars eye back-to-back glory in grand final showdown

THE Junee Jaguars are one win away from back-to-back Nankivell Cup triumphs, with the club’s fourth-grade men preparing to fight for another premiership under Friday night lights in Wagga.

Junee will head to Wagga on Friday night, September 25, to take on the Lake Albert Sharks for the Nankivell Cup at Geohex Park.

Kick-off is at 7pm, with the Jaguars calling on the Junee faithful to make the trip and help turn the Wagga sideline blue and gold.

The Jaguars punched their ticket to the decider with a convincing 3-1 victory over Charles Sturt University in last Friday night’s preliminary final.

It continued an outstanding campaign for the fourth-grade outfit, which has suffered just two defeats all season and will now have the opportunity to defend the trophy Junee claimed 12 months ago.

Club president Karen Fish said the club was immensely proud of what the side had achieved.

“This is the third year in a row that we have had a fourth-grade team in the grand final,” Fish said.

“The boys have only lost two games the whole season.

“We’re really proud of their efforts as a whole. They have played hard and had a lot of fun along the way.”

Generations unite for Junee

While another premiership will be the prize on Friday night, the make-up of this year’s squad has provided another source of pride for the Jaguars.

The team has brought together players at opposite ends of their football journeys, with juniors Kevin Bjorklund and Preston Thelan stepping into men’s soccer for the first time this season.

They have lined up alongside some of the club’s seasoned “old boys”, including players whose association with the game stretches back three decades.

Fish said seeing the next generation make the transition into senior soccer alongside some of Junee’s most experienced players had been a highlight.

“This team has also taken on two young players coming up from juniors to their first season of men’s soccer, Kevin Bjorklund and Preston Thelan, which has been fantastic,” she said.

“They’ve been playing with some of our old boys who have been playing for 30 years.”

That combination of youth and experience will now take centre stage as Junee attempts to keep the Nankivell Cup in Jaguars hands for another year.

Jaguars chasing another trophy

The Nankivell Cup already sits in Junee hands following an extraordinary all-Jaguars grand final in 2025.

Jaguars Blue and Jaguars Yellow went head-to-head for the trophy last September, guaranteeing the silverware would return to Junee before a ball had even been kicked.

Blue ultimately claimed the local bragging rights with a 3-1 victory.

It was part of a memorable grand final double for the club, with Junee’s third-grade side ending a nine-year premiership drought to capture the Blake Trophy just hours earlier.

The Junee Jaguars men’s 3rd grade side pictured with the 2025 Blake Trophy | Photo: Football Wagga

Twelve months later, the Jaguars have another opportunity to add to the club’s trophy cabinet and extend an impressive run that has now seen Junee represented in the fourth-grade grand final for three consecutive years.

Standing between them and another Nankivell Cup is Lake Albert.

The Nankivell Cup grand final between Junee Jaguars and Lake Albert Sharks kicks off at 7pm on Friday, September 25, at Geohex Park in Wagga.