The team in the green and gold came into the tournament in Sao Paolo, Brazil as defending champion, after the land from down under claimed gold at the 2022 edition in Denmark.
The Australian contingent went unbeaten all the way through to the winner-takes-all gold medal match against the United States, which eventually emerged as champion after a nail-biting 57-51 triumph in the final.
Incredibly, in the lead-up to the showpiece, the Steelers defeated every opposition side by nine or more tries as they put up an emphatic tournament defence.
En route to the decider Australia had actually dispatched of the United States during the pool stage of the tournament, winning that clash 54-44.
After reaching the knockout stage, the Steelers defeated Denmark by a scoreline of 59-47 in the quarter-final to set up a last-four match against Great Britain, which saw them prevail, 60-44.
However, the Australian side could not repeat its heroics of four years ago in the 2026 final, as the United States edged a tightly-contested 57-51 battle to snatch gold at its expense.
Having grown up on a farm just outside of Nanneella, McQuillan was the only representative from the Goulburn Valley to have formed part of the Aussie squad which travelled to Brazil.
Steelers captain Chris Bond looked back with pride at the efforts of his compatriots as they just fell short of securing a second successive world title – as he looked ahead to the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.
“The game didn’t go as we’d planned it, but you know, in retrospect I am really proud of the team. We’ve performed excellently,” Bond said.
“Everyone has played a role. Everyone’s been a part of every game and it’s, I think, probably the strongest squad we’ve had.
“I see many years of success ahead of us. (It’s been a) flawless competition, except for the final and, unfortunately, that sports sometimes.”
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