Bathurst Bulldogs’ inaugural Blowes Clothing Cup women’s season is just one victory away from a fairytale finish.
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Bulldogs are searching for a way around defending champions Cowra Eagles in Saturday’s grand final at Endeavour Oval.
Bathurst almost got the better of the Eagles when they were 5-0 up in the major semi-final, only to watch their lead slip across the second half to record a 10-5 loss.
It was a game the blue and gold hoops probably should have won, such was their first-half dominance, but now they get one last chance to hit back against the reigning champions.
“From the kick-off we’ve got to be smart. If not then they will beat us,” Bulldogs coach Tuma Aisake said.
“Cowra have got some very good wingers. It’s important for us to match them there. We need to get up on them. We can’t let them come to us.
“I’m not really sure what happened to us in that last game against Cowra, but I know things will be different this weekend.”
Bulldogs are aiming to bring in less of the football they produced in that second half against Cowra and more of the football they showed in the preliminary final against the Mudgee Wombats.
The Wombats were aiming to set up a repeat of last year’s women’s grand final but the Bathurst side had ambitions of its own, downing Mudgee 17-12.
Aisake said the Bulldogs women have been improving both in skill and number with every week that’s gone by.
I know things will be different this weekend.
- Bulldogs coach Tuma Aisake
“In the first game we played this year it was against Mudgee. We had eight or nine players and they had 10 players plus subs. We still managed to win that and I thought to myself that this could be a really good year,” he said.
“We never looked back from there. All the girls were saying how much they enjoyed it, and from there everyone just lifted.
“Now we’re going into the final with around 18 girls.”
The Bulldogs and Eagles get the day’s grand final action underway from 9.30am.
- BATHURST BULLDOGS: 1 Sharna Aisake, 2 Danielle Allen, 3 Sarah Farraway, 4 Melissa Waterford, 5 Edwina Ulberg, 6 Kelly Edwards, 7 Teagan Miller, 8 Kate Gullifer, 9 Sarah Reyter, 10 Chantrice Graaff, 11 Aime Middlemiss, 12 Olivia Mills, 13 Mandy Scott, 14 Marita Shoulders, 15 Nicole Schneider, 16 Alyza Doulis, 17 Carly Elwin
- COWRA EAGLES: 1 Kylie McGovern, 2 Michelle Miller ©, 3 Krystal Fyfe, 4 Becky Eastaway, 5 Sheree Logan, 6 Nicky Miller, 7 Anna Slavin, 8 Inge Visser, 9 Betty Doolan, 10 Lillyan Mason-Spice, 11 Lesley Tapp, 12 Tegan Deighton, 14 Tanielle Michael, 15 Tarcia Skinner, 16 Karina Russell