Aris Eagles retained their men’s Greece Rugby League title with a dramatic 46-32 win over AEK in the Grand Final at Goritsa Stadium, Aspropyrgos. Winger Temo Kharashvili‘s second try secured victory for the defending champions who finished second on the ladder after the regular season, four points behind AEK.

“We went through a lot of emotional waves before the game,” said Aris skipper, scrum half Aris Dardamanis. “The team made a really good preparation but again not everything went as planned because of Injuries. 

“The first half was a phenomenal for us, maybe the best we had so far, but the real battle hadn't started yet. With no big bodies in the bench, like AEK had, we lost ground in the second half and gave them a chance to hope.”

Dardamanis added: “I really think that each and every one of us showed the true Eagle spirit, found the strength that was needed and the character of a champion. Personally, it is one of the best moments of my career so far.”

Aris scored five of their nine tries in a blistering opening 23 minutes, fullback Cales Matiz with two, and he eventually went on to complete a hat trick in a match defining performance.

AEK, who went through the regular season undefeated, hit back midway through the second half with three quickfire tries from Christos Loukakis, Georgios Kakouris and prop Dimitris Mavraganis, but just left themselves too much to do.

Their coach, Nikos Petropoulos, said: “It was a great game for a neutral fan to watch. There were a lot of spectators, a lot of rivalry and animosity between the two teams. Drama sells, it's good for the sport.  

“Aris played a great game, especially their edge attack was amazing. For AEK, we lost in the first half, we completely capitulated. However, we are a developing side, we are still learning. Nine out of the starting 13 players have only been playing rugby league for 18 months. 

“They are moving in the right direction, I am super proud of the effort. More could have been done, but that's rugby league, we learn, take it on the chin and move on.”  

The GRLF are planning on adding two more teams into the league, Panionios - who were founded in 1890, are the oldest sporting club in the country and in 2024 had 3,248 registered athletes across 14 sports – alongside Ionian island side Lefkada Rams.