2026 FNC Women’s Rugby Grand Final: Ballina and Lismore meet again

Lismore City and Ballina Seahorsettes contest a scrum during the 2026 BRS Cup Grand Final.

After another exciting season, the Ballina Seahorsettes and Lismore City Women will meet again in the 2026 FNC Women’s Rugby Grand Final.

A Grand Final rematch

BRS congratulates every team that participated in this year’s competition and contributed to its continued growth.

Following a successful 2025 season, the competition expanded to eight clubs and adopted a 12-a-side format in 2026. As a result, more women have opportunities to participate in rugby across the Far North Coast.

The 2025 Grand Final delivered an unforgettable finish, with Ballina taking the lead on the buzzer to claim the title. Now, twelve months later, the rivalry has been renewed.

Will Ballina go back-to-back, or will Lismore turn the tables in 2026?

Supporting the growth of FNC Women’s Rugby

As a proud sponsor of FNC Women’s Rugby for the second consecutive year, BRS is pleased to support greater visibility, opportunities and pathways for female athletes across the region.

We wish Ballina and Lismore the very best of luck in what is shaping up to be another thrilling Grand Final.

2026 FNC Rugby Union Grand Final schedule

Date: Saturday, 29 August 2026
Venue: Crozier Field, Lismore

  • Ballina Toyota Under 18s – 10:00 am
  • Federal Hotel Presidents Cup – 11:30 am
  • BRS Women’s – 12:55 pm
  • Coopers 2nd Grade – 2:00 pm
  • Primex 1st Grade – 3:35 pm

Can’t make it on the day? All games will be livestreamed on the Mark Gough Media YouTube channel.

Ballina Seahorsettes women’s rugby team
Ballina Seahorsettes
Lismore City women’s rugby team
Lismore City Women

Photo credit: FNC Rugby

A Day in the Life of an Undergraduate Traffic Engineer at BRS: Robert Creech

View of a traffic intersection with traffic lights
Robert Creech, Undergraduate Traffic Engineer at BRS

Robert Creech – Undergraduate Traffic Engineer

At BRS, we’re proud to have a passionate and motivated team that strives to combine technical excellence with genuine commitment, ensuring every project creates outcomes that make a meaningful difference.

 

Our ‘day in the life’ blog series is all about celebrating the people who make our work possible. This month, we caught up with Robert Creech, an Undergraduate Traffic Engineer at BRS, to chat about how he found his way into traffic engineering and what his work looks like day to day.

 

1) Tell us a bit about yourself and what interested you in Traffic Engineering.

I gravitated more towards STEM subjects in high school, so it felt natural to pursue a degree in civil engineering. The only question was which field to focus on.

Through a strange twist of fate, I met the traffic engineer who would become my first employer at an open mic night where I was playing guitar and he was performing bush poetry. Proof that networking can happen in the strangest of places!

I enjoy the combination of site work and technical office work. There are plenty of opportunities to grow professionally, and bigger projects push you to think strategically about infrastructure development.

 

2) What does a typical workday look like for you and what brings you the most enjoyment in your role?

My work may involve travelling to sites for road safety audits or site inspections. On other days, I’ll be at my desk drafting Traffic Guidance Schemes, Traffic Impact Assessments, Swept Path Assessments or Construction Traffic Management Plans.

What I enjoy most is learning and working as part of a team.

 

3) What’s it like being part of the BRS Traffic Engineering team?

I’ve found the BRS team to be very professional and collaborative. I’m still learning some of the basics around standards, guidelines and new software, and it’s been a very supportive and patient learning environment.

 

4) What’s been the most memorable aspect of working at BRS so far?

Probably the variety of work and being trusted to contribute to real projects. I’ve particularly enjoyed getting out on site for road safety audits, and I appreciate how friendly everyone is!

 

5) Looking back at your career, is there anything that has surprised you about working in Traffic Engineering?

Roads look completely ordinary until you learn how to read them. Then you start seeing sight distance, conflict points, intersection performance, queue storage, swept paths, turning warrants, grades and more.

 

6) Finally, what advice do you have for anyone considering a career in Traffic Engineering?

Try to gain practical experience as early as possible, wherever you can, and stay curious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Traffic engineering is much broader than it first appears, and the best way to discover what interests you is to get involved in real projects and learn from experienced traffic engineers.

 

Want to get to know our team a bit better?

Check out our other ‘day in the life’ blogs to learn more about our team.

A Day in the Life of a Director at BRS: Andrea McDonald

Andrea McDonald – CEO & Chartered Accountant

 

Headshot of Andrea McDonald - BRS CEO and DirectorAt BRS, we are proud to have a highly motivated and passionate team that works together to deliver infrastructure and create better outcomes for our communities.

As part of or ‘Day in the Life’ series, we sat down with the directors behind BRS,  chatting about their career journeys, leadership approaches, and insights for the future of both BRS and the industry.

In this edition, we were joined by Andrea McDonald to discuss her role as CEO.

 

1) What is your profession, and what do you love about what you do?

I am a Chartered Accountant who has progressed throughout my career to become CEO.

My background in accounting has given me a strong understanding of how financial data tells the story of a business, revealing key insights into cash flow, risk, and profitability.

 

Furthermore, as CEO, I enjoy turning complexity into clarity.

I focus on bringing high-performing teams together around shared goals while ensuring we continue delivering value for our clients.

What motivates me most is combining financial discipline with strategic decision-making to build trust, support our people, and successfully deliver increasingly complex projects and programs.

 

2) What are you most proud of / what stands out as a major milestone for the company?

I am most proud of the strong, values-driven culture we have maintained while continuing to grow through both organic expansion and acquisitions.

Through initiatives such as our Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP) and values-based recruitment, we have fostered an ownership mindset and a shared sense of purpose across the business.

As we’ve grown, we’ve remained committed to collaboration across disciplines and delivering positive outcomes for our clients.

One of BRS’s greatest achievements has been growing without losing the close-knit, goal-focused culture that has always defined who we are.

 

3) Where is the industry headed, and what challenges are you preparing BRS to face?

Sustainability, climate resilience, and the transition to net-zero are continuing to reshape the industry.

As these priorities evolve, BRS must stay ahead of changing environmental regulations, sustainability standards, and client expectations.

We are focused on ensuring our people, systems, and services continue to adapt. This allows us to help clients navigate these challenges and deliver more sustainable outcomes.

 

4) If you could offer yourself a piece of advice when you were just starting your career, what would it be and why?

Begin your career by actively fostering relationships with clients, peers, and mentors.

Prioritising trust and collaboration with these key stakeholders sets the stage for long-term professional growth and resilience.

These relationships will provide valuable support, guidance, and opportunities as you progress.

Furthermore, remain relentlessly curious throughout your career journey. Seeking out new knowledge and perspectives. This will help you to uncover new ideas, adapt to change, and continuously improve your approach to challenges.

 

Thank you Andrea for taking the time to share your insights and experience with us!

 

Join us as we get to know the faces behind BRS through our Director Series, sharing the stories, experiences and insights of our leadership team.

Click here to learn more!

 

Climate resilience: A Fundamental Component of Future Ready Infrastructure

Climate resilience is no longer an ‘add-on’. It is a core requirement for delivering infrastructure that is safe, sustainable and built to endure.

Across Australia, the impacts of a changing climate are increasingly visible through more frequent flooding, extreme heat, coastal erosion and mounting pressure on ageing  infrastructure. These challenges are reshaping how the development and infrastructure sectors plan, design and deliver projects. Climate resilience, once treated as an optional enhancement, is now fundamental to long-term project success.

For BRS, resilience is not a separate layer of work. It is integral to delivering infrastructure that is safe, durable and capable of performing under future conditions.

 

Why climate resilience can no longer sit on the sidelines

Climate risk has become a material project consideration. The industry is experiencing tighter planning and environmental requirements that demand stronger evidence of long term performance. Asset owners are also facing greater scrutiny of durability and lifecycle costs, particularly as insurance premiums and operational risks rise for climate vulnerable assets. Communities now expect safer, more resilient places that can withstand future conditions rather than places designed only to meet today’s standards.

Together, these factors mean resilience must be embedded from the earliest stages of planning and design. Projects that overlook climate risk upfront often encounter costly redesigns, delays, compliance challenges and long-term performance issues.

 

Regulatory expectations are shifting

Planning frameworks across Australia increasingly emphasise climate responsive design, including flood resilient layouts, water sensitive urban design, strategies to mitigate heat and biodiversity considerations. These expectations span residential, commercial, industrial and public infrastructure projects. For clients, resilience is essential to securing approvals, managing risk and ensuring long-term asset performance.

 

Digital tools strengthen resilience outcomes

Digital engineering plays a critical role in strengthening resilience planning. Integrated modelling, data visualisation and digital workflows enable earlier identification of climate related risks, more accurate environmental modelling, better coordination between disciplines and stronger evidence based decision making. These tools help project teams understand how assets will perform under future scenarios, not just current conditions.

 

A future ready approach to infrastructure delivery

As climate pressures intensify, the industry must shift from reactive responses to proactive, integrated resilience planning. For BRS, this means continuing to embed climate considerations across all disciplines, supported by strong technical capability, accurate data and a commitment to long-term community outcomes.