Oberon Tigers to take on Manildra Rhinos in 2022 Woodbridge Cup grand final at Grenfell

The Tigers didn't have the squad numbers they hoped for and it looked like the team would struggle to find their feet in a new competition after moving across from the New Era Cup.

However, just a little over four months later, the Tigers find themselves in another matchup with the Rhinos - this time on grand final day.

A memorable journey for the Tigers comes to its conclusion this Sunday at Grenfell, where this time Oberon meet the Rhinos not as a major underdog but as a fearsome adversary.

The Tigers go into the decider on a 10-game win streak, and the Rhinos were one of Oberon's victims during that run when they went down on their own turf 30-26 in a qualifying final upset.

It's been quite the shining return for rugby league in a community that's had its share of challenges since losing the 2017 Group 10 premier league grand final in heartbreaking circumstances.

After dropping out of the region's top tier of rugby league Oberon gained a foothold in the New Era Cup and would prevail in the 2020 grand final.

But reaching the Woodbridge Cup's final day represents a much more significant step forward for the team.

Oberon secretary Neil O'Grady said the team, led by player-coach Abel Lefaoseu, has crafted a real identity over their magical second half of the season.

"At the presentation night I had teams coming up to me saying that while we weren't the fastest team in the comp and we don't have the tactical kickers like other teams they said that we just keep coming and we're relentless," he said.

"You saw that in the semi-final where we were down 20 points against Manildra but not once did they think they were going to lose that back. There's so much belief there, and that's been instilled by Abel.

"Our boys have no fear of any team, including Manildra, and they're confident that they'll do their best. It's a massive effort to just reach the semis, let alone the grand final, but to win it would be amazing.

"In the early rounds we were looking at crowd numbers thinking 'How are we going to get people back?' but in our final against the Orange Warriors last week you couldn't get another car into the ground.

"I hope that enthusiasm carries over not only to the grand final but into next season."

The round two loss to the Rhinos was certainly a 'Welcome to the league' moment for a stunned Tigers outfit.

Following that match they knew that they needed to piece together a more competitive squad and improve their approach to the game, tactically and mentally.

"Against Manildra in round two we got taken to school and we thought 'Wow, this comp's another level from Mid West Cup', which it was," O'Grady said.

"A few blokes came back to the club though during that first round. We picked up Liam Walsh from Portland and Johnny Aiaga who came over from Lithgow.

"By the second half of the season we were thinking that the squad was building nicely. The boys were knuckling down at training and getting great numbers.

"Abel's brought this team together and they really believe in themselves. The bond they have is very strong."

O'Grady said the atmosphere around the club right now is stronger than he's seen in years.

"I put a lot of that down to the coaches we've got. Our league tag coach Shan Foley did a great job, because it's not just the men's side that make the club what it is. Our women's team are supportive of the men, and vice versa," he said.

"Abel has done an outstanding job. When we were looking at coaching applications ... we knew he had the respect from the players. His work ethic is great and he has a very disciplined approach to his footy. He put a lot of emphasis on building team culture."

Kick-off in the men's grand final at Grenfell is Sunday 2.30pm.

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