The legacy name and a 14-year drought headlining Group 7 grand finals

It was considered a pipe dream at the start of 2026, but the Kiama Knights have just been crowned back-to-back Group 7 first grade premiers after taking down the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles 40-10 in Saturday's season finale.

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Fans from all over the Illawarra showed up for the Group 7 rugby league grand finals day. Pictures by Adam McLean

Sam Hooper was the first grade player of the match (Kiama Knights). Picture by Adam McLean

It looked promising from the 18th minute when tries began pouring in, one-sided, until it was 24-0 at half-time.

"We were just trying to keep our heads in the game really," skipper Tom Angel said of the surprisingly emphatic victory.

"We were never expecting a score line like that, so it was just about trying to keep ourselves grounded enough to keep going through our processes and make sure we ran away with it."

The Kiama Knights are your 2026 Group 7 first grade premiers. Picture by Adam McLean

The Knights came in with a plan and executed it flawlessly.

"I'm not trying to speak a bad word about Albion Park, but we've noticed the last couple of times that we beat them, that if we stick with them for the first 20 minutes or so, we can get some joy around their middle," he said.

"Play short early, which we did, we'd get some momentum. It played out exactly how we drew it up, so we're just lucky in the end, I guess."

Angel admitted a culmination of small things had threatened the side's title defense in earlier rounds and left them feeling as though a second premiership was off the cards.

Keiran Poole and Tom Angle of the Kiama Knights celebrate winning the 2026 Group 7 first grade premiership. Picture by Adam McLean

They took each week as it came, and chipped away slowly without the internal pressure. That approach ended up being the secret weapon to building a connected, hard-to-stop outfit.

Five-eighth Sam Hooper was named player of the match. Ryan Hodgson scored a hat-trick; two tries in the first half and a third just after the break. Bradley Killmore put on a perfect kicking game.

Everything that could go right, did go right.

"I said to the boys in the changing rooms as a last word before we came out, that this is a special group," Angel said.

"You can't buy what we've got, you can't buy the position we're in, so [I told them] to enjoy it."

The Kiama Knights are your 2026 Group 7 first grade premiers. Picture by Adam McLean

Eighty-one years had passed since Kiama won back-to-back first grade premierships.

"This just felt so far out of reach," the skipper said of his remark that going back-to-back was a "pipe dream" in February.

"History wasn't on our side either.

"The adversity we faced throughout the early stages of the year ... this just felt a little bit distant and out of touch, but still we knew if we got some momentum we were gonna be hard to stop."

That's why number two feels bigger. It feels better. It holds more meaning for everyone in a Knights uniform.

"It's a different feeling," Angel said.

Kiama Knights fans and family celebrate winning the 2026 Group 7 first grade premiership. Picture by Adam McLean

"Last year was a big sense of relief getting ourselves back to the pinnacle, but this one was more of a relief that we've cemented ourselves as not a one trick pony ... not a one time kind of thing.

"We're a force to be reckoned with in years to come.

"We're brothers. These are the blokes that I hang out with even outside of footy. We go out there and we bleed for each other every week."

Albion Park Oak Flats lost the Group 7 grand final after being minor premiers. Picture by Adam McLean

In every grand final, there must be a losing side.

Sometimes it hurts more. And that's the case for Eagles, who felt confident - not cocky - coming into the clash as minor premiers.

"[I'm] just numb," head coach Josh White said in the aftermath.

"We made too many errors and [Kiama] capitalised on their penalties. 40-10, I didn't think that would happen, but we've got to take it and lick the wounds now ... work out what we did wrong and how we fix it.

"There's no excuse. We've got to be better, so hopefully we'll regroup and get it done in the off-season."

Halfback Drew Hutchison came off late in the second half with a dislocated shoulder, but White said the former NRL player and club veteran would be back for season 2027.

They have unfinished business.

Relive all the action from Saturday's massive grand final day below:

The Shellharbour Sharks defeated Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles in the reserve grade Group 7 grand final. Picture by Adam McLean

Drew Hutchison hasn't stepped foot onto the stage of a Group 7 Rugy League grand final since 2012.

That year, he pulled on the jersey for Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles in their under-18s finale. The Eagles won, and Hutchison left the local scene to play just shy of 100 NRL and 35 England Super League appearances.

Fourteen years later, he's returned. This time for the Eagles' first grade outfit.

They'll go head-to-head with defending premiers the Kiama Knights this Saturday September 26 at Centenary Field.

Stingrays of Shellharbour win the Group 7 rugby league under-18s grand final. Picture by Adam McLean

Named alongside the decorated halfback is Eagles' skipper Josh Sainsbury, who's looking to be part of is own slice of history.

The club legacy notched up 150 senior games in 2024, but is still chasing the premiership glory experienced by his father during Albion Park's 2010s reign.

Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles captain Josh Sainsbury and Kiama Knights captain Tom Angel. Picture by Robert Peet.

Shane Sainsbury led the Eagles to their 2012 title before Josh made his first grade debut a year later. The club hasn't lifted the trophy since then.

Kiama and Albion Park have never met at the season's pinnacle event. Whatever plays out will make for a storied year in the books.

First grade kick-off is 3pm.

Open women's tackle will start the grand final gala day at 10:15am. Under-18s play at 10:30am. Reserves kick-off at 1:15pm.

Follow our rolling blog coverage of every game below.

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