SOUTHSIDE BEAT THE BULLS
RIVAL coaches Otto Suavai and Wayne Meredith sat down for a beer Saturday afternoon and shook their heads in amazement.
Suavai’s strong finishing Southside Crusaders had just toppled Meredith’s previously undefeated Barron Trinity Bulls 25-24 in a thrilling grand final rematch at Machans Beach Reserve but the result had yet to fully sink in for either mentor.
“We just both sort of looked at each other and said, ‘Why do we do it?’” Meredith said laughing. “Otto and I played each other back in the ’90s, so we go back a long way.
“It does hurt but I think it (the loss) puts some fuel in the belly of our players. We had the draw with JCU Mariners a few weeks ago, too.
“What’s happened is we set a benchmark and now the other teams are meeting us there.”
With playmaker Matt Kirk returning from injury through second grade, the Bulls experimented with combinations as they prepare for finals.
“Having two grades on top of the table means we can shuffle a few players around,” Meredith said. “They were very physical and outplayed us.
“I thought we were right with them but for 10 minutes where we made some silly errors with some dropped ball.”
AFL recruit Damien Burke played at fullback again for the Bulls and has settled into the role following the loss of Jai Doherty earlier in the season.
“He’s a Barron junior that came through the ranks,” Meredith said of the former Gold Coast Suns academy player. “He came home in June and we welcomed him back to the club. He’s a natural talent with good speed.”
The Bulls will look to turn their form around against Northern Beaches Mudcrabs at the Crab Pot next weekend.