The Sunshine Coast Falcons are a rugby league football team based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. They compete in the Queensland Cup and their home ground is Sunshine Coast Stadium. The Falcons are currently affiliated with the NRL team Melbourne Storm.
History
The Falcons were originally the Winfield State League representative team for the Sunshine Coast. First competing in the 1993 season, they won their pool before losing in the semi-finals. For the 1994 season, they competed as Sunshine Coast/Gympie, against winning the pool matches, but losing both semi-final matches. In the last year of the State League, the combined Sunshine Coast/Gympie team failed to progress from the pool stage. They competed in the first season of the Queensland Cup in 1996 but dropped out the following season.
In 2006, the club joined the FOGS Cup competing in the second-level competition. The club finished their first season in sixth position, just outside the finals positions.
Partnership with Manly (2009-2010) In 2009, they were readmitted to the Queensland Cup after securing an agreement with the NRL's Manly Sea Eagles to become a feeder club. Between 2009 and 2013 the club was renamed the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles due to the partnership with the Manly Sea Eagles.
The partnership instantly proved successful with the team winning the 2009 Queensland Cup Grand Final 32–18 to secure their first premiership, with a number of Manly players in the squad. Following the end of the 2010 season, Manly were forced to cut ties with the club after a change in policy disallowed NRL teams from having feeder clubs in both the Queensland Cup and New South Wales Cup.
Partnership with Melbourne Storm (2014-)
In 2014 the club reverted to the Falcons name and struck a three-year partnership with the Melbourne Storm from the 2015 season. The Falcons endured a 36-game losing streak during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, on their way to consecutive wooden spoons.
In May 2021, Melbourne extended their affiliation partnership with the Falcons to the end of the 2024 season.
Life Members
In September 2021, the club awarded the first life memberships of the club: Don Oxenham – Inaugural CEO and former board member Dave Cordwell – Coach (Colts: 2009–10; FOGs Cup: 2011; Queensland Cup: 2012–13) and former board member Alan Marr – Board member 2009-19 Gordon Oakes – Chairman 2006-13
Season Summaries
Honours
Queensland Cup
Premierships: 1 (2009) Runners Up: 1 (2017) Minor Premiership: 1 (2019) Duncan Hall Medal: 1 (Tony Williams – 2009) Petero Civoniceva Medal: 1 (Daly Cherry-Evans – 2010) Rookie of the Year: 2 (Daly Cherry-Evans – 2010); (Brandon Smith – 2017) Coach of the Year: 1 (Eric Smith – 2019)
Junior
Hastings Deering Colts: 1 (2019)
Players
2022 squad
Melbourne Storm allocated players
Storm splits its squad of NRL and development list players between the Falcons and Brisbane Tigers, with players not required for that weekend's NRL fixture heading to their Queensland Cup team:
Grant Anderson
Tom Eisenhuth
Sua Fa'alogo
Jack Howarth
Chris Lewis
Tepai Moeroa
Jayden Nikorima
Aaron Pene
Young Tonumaipea
Tyran Wishart
Representatives
The following players have played representative football for the Queensland Residents in the annual match against NSW Residents while playing for the Falcons.
Trent Hodkinson (2009) Daly Cherry-Evans (2010 - captain) Jamie Buhrer (2010) Ben Hampton (2015) Kenny Bromwich (2015) Jahrome Hughes (2017) Lachlan Timm (2018) Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (2019) Darryn Schonig (2019)
Awards
The James Ackerman Medal is awarded to the Sunshine Coast Falcons Player of the Year. The award is named in honour of the late James Ackerman, who died from injuries sustained in a tackle while playing for the Falcons against Norths Devils in 2015.
Personnel
Coaches
2009 – 2010 — Brandon Costin
2011 — Adam Mogg
2012 – 2013 — Dave Cordwell
2014 — Ivan Henjak (quit midseason, replaced by Glen Dreger) 2015 — Glen Dreger 2016 – 2018 — Craig Ingebrigtsen 2019 — Eric Smith 2020 – 2021 — Sam Mawhinney 2022 – present – Brad Henderson