Singleton Rugby Club is celebrating grand final glory after the Reds dominated Cooks Hill Brown Snakes in the Suburban Grand Final at No2 Sportsground in Newcastle last Saturday.
Winning the game 27 points to 5, the Browns didn’t get a look in with the Bulls in great shape both physically and mentally.
It’s been ten years since the Bulls have experience grand final glory and leading up to the big game, everything was falling into place.
Club Captain Dale Brown said attendance at training and at games had been consistent all year but he noticed the training attitude at the serious end of the season had really stepped up to what a grand final win demands.
Followed down the highway on Saturday by 100s of supporters, all wearing their beloved red and black, inspired the Reds to give the game every ounce of their hearts and souls.
Singleton Bulls showed they meant business from the second they stepped on the field and there was never any doubt that victory was well within their grasp.
It hadn’t been a dream run into the grand finals and on paper the game could have easily gone either way.
After finishing third in the season proper, the Reds faced Nelson Bay in the major semi with the Bulls winning that match by just one point.
The eliminator final saw Nelson Bay face off Cooks Hill who came away with victory with a tight, but more convincing win earning their spot in the grand final after winning the game 12 points to 7. Not one point but one try separating the two games.
The players knew it was going to be close but preparation at training and solid study of videos of the opposition identified gaps and opportunities ensuring the Bulls maintained control on field.
The first half was solid, clearly going in the Bulls favour but the second half started out sloppy.
The Brown Snakes knew if they were going to get back on top of the game, they needed to dig deep and they did for a bit.
Captain Jacob Reid said the Reds could see what was happening and needed to re-group and they did that quickly.
Back into completing their sets and supporting one another and the tries continued.
Dale said he would have been disappointed if Singleton didn’t win given the depth of player talent and experience.
“It was just fantastic, so great for our club, wonderful to see so many supporters, it made me feel very, very proud,” Dale said.
While the grand win is a result of consistent effort by all players on the field it is worth mentioning try scorers who were Edward Weaver, Joshua Moore, Liam Hinde and two to William Renouf with one conversion by Jackson Walsh.
-DI SNEDDON
