The Bull Sharks premier women’s and second grade men’s teams have locked in finals berths after tough contests at the Canal on the weekend.
While sadly marking the season’s end for the men’s premier and colts 1 and 2 sides, the Bull Sharks are now rallying around their finals hopefuls.
It wasn’t all bad news for the premier men’s side though, as they trounced the Tigers to reclaim the Batty-Bremner-Thomas Trophy in a 41-19 win. They finished the season in fifth place, missing out on a finals spot by just two points.
AROUND THE GRADES
Second grade put in a thrilling appearance against Easts to win 29-26, with winger Abele Atunaisa continuing his strong form by scoring two tries.
The premier women narrowly went down to the Tigers but have already cemented their place in the finals, finishing third on the ladder.
Both colts sides needed wins to secure finals spots, but both went down to strong Tigers sides.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
The Bull Sharks dominated the first half with four tries and their forward pack’s strength on show. After a penalty on the stroke of half-time, Bond went into the break leading 27-0.
But the Tigers fought back in the second half, notching up three tries to bring the scores to 27-19 with just 15 minutes to go.
But the Bull Sharks did not disappoint fans gathered for their final game. Captain Angus Blyth and Fijian Drua recruit Joe Tamani both crashed over the line, taking the final score to 41-19.
WHAT THEY SAID
After back-to-back close losses, the Bull Sharks were desperate to finish the season with a strong win.
Flyhalf Hayden Sargeant, who played a starring role, said he was pleased with the team’s performance.
“I thought it was one of our most clinical (wins) for the year. Having forwards and backs scoring off set pieces was good to see,” he said.
“It’s bittersweet to finish the way we did, showcasing how much we could have offered in the finals, but we needed to be better this year in a few key areas.”
The first-grade squad will now turn their attention to supporting both the premier women and second grade teams as they embark on their finals campaigns.
“It’s great to see two teams in the finals and we will be there all week supporting them
and we have a bus sorted for the games on the weekend to take up a big crew,” Sargeant said.
FINAL RESULTS
First Grade: W 41-19
Premier Women: L 14-5
Second Grade: W 29-26
Third Grade: L 46-14
Colts One: L 29- 15
Colts Two: L 22-3