PARL Celebrates a Historic 2025 Season at Our First Ever Awards Night

Following our final fixture of the year against Syria, the PARL community came together for something special — our first ever Awards Night.

After a massive year of growth across our junior, women's and representative programs, it felt important to pause, reflect and celebrate the people who helped make 2025 such a memorable season.

The evening wasn't about fancy suits or formalities.

It was about bringing together players, coaches, volunteers, families and supporters to share a meal, enjoy a few drinks, have a laugh, and recognise the incredible efforts of our community throughout the year.

For many, it was the first time everyone had the chance to come together away from the field and celebrate what had been achieved both individually and collectively.

A Year Worth Celebrating

2025 was one of the biggest years in PARL history.

Across all age groups and programs, players proudly represented their Filipino heritage, embraced new opportunities, and continued building the future of Filipino rugby league in Australia.

From junior development programs through to representative teams, every player, coach, volunteer and family member played a role in helping our organisation continue to grow.

That's why we felt it was time to introduce an annual awards night - a chance to recognise the people who consistently go above and beyond for the jersey and the community.

How the Awards Were Chosen

The awards process was built around the people who know our players best.

Coaches, Managers and Team Coordinators from each program submitted nominations based on commitment, attitude, leadership, performance and contribution throughout the season.

From there, the PARL leadership team reviewed nominations and voted on the final recipients.

The result was a group of deserving winners who embody the values of Professionalism, Attitude, Respect and Leadership that continue to shape our organisation.

Congratulations to Our 2025 Award Winners

Volunteer of the Year

Erick Elafante Award 🏆 Winner: Gel Flores and Fred Arquiza

Club Person of the Year

Stef Brown & Fred Arquiza Award🏆 Winner: Isaac Rosario & Nik Forrest

Chairman's Award

Michael Godfrey Award🏆 Winner: Isaac Rosario & Nik Forrest

Under 16 Boys Player of the Season

Jason Carter Trophy🏆 Winner: Billie Caton

Under 18 Boys Player of the Season

Rez Phillips & Luke Srama Trophy🏆 Winner: Drake Ayres

Under 18 Girls Player of the Season

Jackie Lyden Trophy🏆 Winner: Mia Huckstadt

Tala Rising Player of the Season

Benji De Ubago Trophy🏆 Winner: Janine Jamieson

Admirals Player of the Season

Arwin Marcus Trophy🏆 Winner: James Hannaford

Beyond the recipients themselves, each award was named in honour of individuals whose contributions have helped shape Filipino rugby league in Australia. Their legacies continue to inspire the next generation of players and leaders within our community.

Thank You

A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped organise the evening behind the scenes.

Events like this only happen because volunteers step up, give their time and work together to create something meaningful for the community.

Thank you also to every player, family member, coach, volunteer and supporter who attended. The atmosphere throughout the night reminded us exactly why PARL is so special.

Congratulations to all our award winners and nominees.

Thank you for representing our community with pride.

We can't wait to see what 2026 brings.