With the Bulls surging to a 19-8 half-time advantage, the Ratz clawed their way back to lead 20-19 with two tries in three minutes after an hour and it appeared their big pack would continue on to grind their way to dominant victory.

Contrary to expectations, it was the heavyweight forwards of inspiring captain, tight-head Aaron Gordon, who paved the way for the Bulls’ success, No 8 Daniel Aldridge (2), flanker Saul Clough and  prop Ben Blanchard ploughing through for tries before Aldridge made yet another damaging run for fullback Chris Tout to send centre Tom Jenkins careering in for the fifth and final try.

Man-of- the-match Aldridge, 39, a husky backrower from St. Pat’s, Strathfield, was comfortably settled into rugby retirement when an old mate, Lee Sullivan, in his day a Central Coast hooker but by then a fine local referee, began making inquiries about furthering his career with the Bulls.

Early this year, Sullivan grasped the nettle and returned to coaching with the Bulls, a young club with considerable potential but with no more than semifinal honours to show from their eight-winter history.

Sullivan’s influence has changed the Bulls’ ‘bush picnic’ philosophy, his discipline and experience welding the players into an ever-expanding, more focussed body of players, more conscious of their considerable potential, instilling pride and a sense of ambition in the club.

Rearranging the Bulls’ team after their three tries to two and 15-21 major semi-final loss to the unbeaten Forster-Tuncurry Dolphins, their grand final rivals at Tuncurry next Saturday, Sullivan employed frequent fluctuations of his big forwards to prevent exhaustion to such as invaluable prop Dan Sawyer and lock Lee McDonald.

No account of the Bulls’ performances is complete without mention of the tenacity of the Hessing brothers, Daniel and Rhys, as ever tackling everything and anyone who moved, and the sleek halfback pairing of Steven Curnow and James Dinnan.

Led by splendid No 8 Sam Hartnett, the Ratz were brave to the end, wing speedster Jack Chapman and fullback Luke Bartlett racing in long-range tries while hefty lock Blake Howard crunched through from close range while five-eighth Izaak Solomon and hooker Nik Mylonas were inspirational in attack.

But riding on referee Ron Mancell’s whistle, the Ratz found his 19-6 penalty count too great a percentage in a sudden-death final.

The game was watched by the Dolphins with coach Ron McCarthy still agonising over next Saturday’s run-on team and yet to establish places for outstanding flanker Brad Murray and last year’s grand final man-of- the-match Chris Simon, both of whom have been injured, and to determine his preference as hooker, James Clarke or Scott Walmsley.

WALLAMBA 34 (D Aldridge 2 S Clough B Blanchard T Jenkins tries; S Curnow 3 goals pen goals) beat MANNING RIVER 23 (J Chapman L Bartlett B Howard tries; N Mylonas goal 2 pen goals).

Wallamba to meet Forster-Tuncurry in Lower MNC grand final next Saturday at Peter Barclay Field,Tuncurry.