Andy Pengelly (att), transfer from Lions FC. Trent Millard (def), transfer from Lions FC. Eddie Ince (mid), transfer from Brisbane Roar. Luka Jankovic (att), transfer from St. G. Willawong.
Out
Despite finishing at the top of the NPL Queensland, they lost the final 2-1 at home against Queensland - a bitter end to what had been a rather convincing campaign. Symptomatic of their season as a whole, really - they almost qualified for the Australian Cup but were undone 2-1 at home by Olympic FC before they could face one of Australia's bigger clubs.
They've not reported losing any of their players since the end of their NPL Queensland campaign - the last to leave was Hong and Donnelly-Fagan at the start of 2025. Therefore, the same core that steered them to top place in the group has remained - Smith, Sayers, Maher etc. Should be able to start their Australian Championship campaign with a settled group, which gives them a good head start.
Have added some depth to their squad with Pengelly, Millard, Ince, and Jankovic all arriving. Pengelly is a particularly good acquisition - he finished as the leading goal-scorer for the NPL Queensland whilst at Lions FC. Goal-scoring has been a little bit of a concern for Moreton City Excelsior (only Murai hit double-figures this campaign) so his arrival should prove timely.
They're putting all of their eggs in one basket with Pengelly though. If it doesn't work out, they're not going to score enough goals to stand a realistic chance of winning the competition. If he does then they've got a chance but there doesn't seem to be a "Plan B" at this stage, which is worrisome.
They'll want to get out of the group alive but that's easier said than done. They're in arguably the toughest group in the Australian Championship, up against some real heavyweights. They're going to have to be at their best to stand a chance.