It’s grand final week for rugby lovers on the Lower Mid North Coast and the tension is palpable among the two teams who have made it to the pinnacle of this competition to sheer grit, determination, skill and a tiny bit of luck.
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The Wallamba Bulls will be celebrating their second consecutive appearance in a grand final under coach Lee Sullivan and will be looking to capitalise on the experience of last season when they were runners up to the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins.
Many of the Bulls’ players and supporters remember the pain of last year and will be harnessing that memory to drive them throughout the 80 minutes.
Bulls president Arthur Chapman confirmed what many have known all season: “The Bulls are a different outfit from last season, we have led the competition for the majority of the season and this experience over the last two years has really galvanised the players, officials and supporters in the lead up to this grand final.”
“Without a doubt the Dolphins deserve the reputation they have had as the dominant team in the competition to date, with five grand final appearances and a minor premiership this season, that experience will be tough to beat,” he said.
“But it is the Year Of The Bull and I know everyone will leave that field proud of what they have achieved this season.”
The Dolphins will be making their fifth grand final appearance and, having achieved success in the minor premiership they will undoubtedly be confidant that they can repeat the performance of the 2016 grand final.
The Dolphins were the first team into the grand final this year following their success in Super Saturday, this has earned them a week off last weekend.
Opinion is split as to whether this is an advantage or a curse when it comes to the grand final as match fitness is hard to gain and even harder to keep.
Regardless of the outcome, both the Dolphins and the Bulls deserve to be in the grand final and without a doubt it will be a game for the ages when the next chapter of Lower Mid North Coast Rugby history is written into the silverware.
The grand final kicks off at 3pm with the Nabiac Hotel Bulls supporters’ bus leaving the hotel car park at 1.45pm.
Mid North Coast Rugby has set an entry fee of $5 per adult to raise funds for a junior rugby program on the Lower Mid North Coast.