The NSW Gladiators have claimed back-to-back titles at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby National Championships over the weekend.
The Gladiators were dominate throughout the tournament, defeating the Queensland Cyclones 65-56 in Sunday's final on the Gold Coast.
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The NSW side started the tournament strong with a 15 point win over the Cyclones before wins over the Victoria Thunder and New Zealand Wheel Blacks established them as the team to beat heading into the semis.
They backed up their victory over the Wheel Blacks in the semi-finals with a 59-51 victory as captain and Steelers legend Ryley Batt helped guide them to victory.
This set up a grudge match with the Queenslanders after their thrilling 58-57 win over Victoria, with Canadian star Zac Madell scoring with just seconds remaining on the clock.
Both teams traded tries in the first half of the final as NSW built a slender two-point advantage.
In the end, a third-quarter blitz powered them to victory as they raced out to a 48-41 lead.
Whilst the Cyclones looked for a way back into the contest, the likes of Batt and Andrew Edmondson used their experience to close out the match and the win for the Gladiators.
“That final score doesn’t really tell the story of how hard that match was," Gladiator head coach Glen Lebeau said via Wheelchair Rugby Australia
“The best players in the world were in their best form here today and right across the tournament and it was great to watch.
“And I thought Richard Voris played one of his best matches ever today, he played amazingly."
The Victorians managed to claim bronze as they raced away with a 55-40 win over the Kiwis.
Meanwhile, the ACT Buccaneers took the Division 2 gold medal as they produced a clinical 60-40 win over the SA Sharks
