The Bulls’ three-hour road trip to Geelong’s Hendy Street Reserve on Saturday paid dividends after a titanic back-and-forth struggle for Rugby Victoria’s Country Cup final against Melton.
And with a ticket to the Conference Cup decider a reward for the victor, the three-time reigning champions were keen to keep their four-peat dream alive.
The Warriors, victors in the round 12 clash, drew first blood with the opening try, but the Bulls took only two minutes to reply.
Alo Paulo burst through the Warriors line from a slick Troy Onosai pass and grounded the ball for Shepparton’s first points.
Melton extended their lead to 10-5 midway through the half as an awkward bounce beat the Bulls line, but Onosai turned try-scorer to level proceedings, throwing a dummy and planting the ball directly in goal before converting his own work.
The Bulls went into the second half two points the better, but a penalty kick well taken by Melton 10 minutes in ensured the lead was snatched back amid a solid run of play.
But Shepparton’s pressure was immense, and several drives to the line saw Ben Pele get over for the Bulls third try of the day.
It proved the winning blow, and with a disciplined structure across the pitch, Shepparton managed to hold in a frantic final 25 minutes.
“It was a good day for us, especially when you win a country grand final,” Bulls’ coach Moronae Silaga said.
“It was a great day of rugby, Melton was a very competitive team.
“We lost to them in round 12, so going to play them in a grand final was good for us because it was an opportunity to redeem ourselves.”
From the Shepparton mentor’s perspective, one particular focus in his team’s game has propelled them to another shot at Conference Cup glory, and conceded the side feels there’s still plenty on the line despite scooping the past three premierships.
“A few things we wanted to make sure we fix in our game was discipline,” he said.
“It let us down many times, so we wanted to be on top of it.
“We feel like we have something to lose compared to the last three years where we came in as underdogs.”
Now, the Bulls are bound for Endeavour Hills this Saturday, August 8 to battle Power House Rugby Club for title honours.
Power House dispatched Casey 32-20 in the metro final, but Shepparton has the upper hand on them this season with a 48-5 triumph in round five.
Regardless, Silaga knows it will take everything from his green and blue troops to get across the line for a historic fourth consecutive premiership.
“We have to be alert because we know Powerhouse are pretty fit, and they’re going to speed up the game,” he said.
“But we have to try and take control of it. That’s what we’ll prepare for.”
The kickoff at Frog Hollow Reserve will take place at 3.15pm.
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