The Moama Bowling Club-aligned Steamers beat the six teams returning from the inaugural APL, plus second expansion franchise Gold Coast Hawks, over four days at Club Pine Rivers in Brisbane.

Warilla's Jeremy Henry and his Perth Suns made it to the semi-finals for a second straight year before losing 6-3, 4-4 to the Steamers in the sets-based format broadcast live on Fox Sports.

Having just won their semi on the Pine Rivers carpet, world champion Marshall, plus teammates Canadian ace Ryan Bester and Moama local Michael Walker, used their momentum to ambush Adelaide Endurance in the final.

Adelaide were left runners-up for a second straight year but showed they were a quality outfit after eliminating top-of-the-table New Zealand Blackjacks in their semi-final.

But they were no match for a rampant Marshall and company, who had finished runners-up to the Blackjacks in the round-robin phase after eight wins from 14 rubbers.

The Steamers won four straight ends in the first set and 6-2 5-3 overall to collect the $40,000 top prize, the biggest cheque for an Australian team bowls event.

Marshall was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

"I've enjoyed every single minute of this," Marshall said after the event.

"Back home, they would not believe what happened.

"I'll certainly be taking a few DVDs back to show them."

The Australian Premier League has proved a revelation for bowls and will return to Brisbane's Club Pine Rivers next year.

The fast-paced action and shortened set-based matches was a winner for the world's best men and women.

The field including Shell Cove's Karen Murphy, who played for Sydney Thunder, revelled in the tribal-like State versus State match-ups, with the live broadcast provided great exposure to the sport.