The following (2009) season, McLaren and his squad clinched the QSL championship in the penultimate round of the competition after a tense season-long battle with Olympic FC. In doing so, the Brisbane Strikers became one of the very few football clubs in Australia to have won trophies at local, state and national levels. However, the Strikers lost in a Grand Final once again, going down 1–4 in a boilover result to Redlands United FC, who had finished the season in fourth position on the QSL ladder.