Buzzing Bulls are back in business
UPON their return to the elite Townsville rugby scene, Charters Towers forward Jacob Day says there has been a rejuvenated buzz around the country town.
And after the Bulls registered their second win on the trot, he believes the intensity is only set to rise.
In the aftermath of his side’s 24-10 win over LARCS on Saturday, Day said the squad saw the ill-fated 2020 campaign not as a throwaway but as an opportunity.
The Bulls took the time to prepare for a genuine tilt at the Townsville and District Rugby Union in 2021, and now Day believes the foundation has been laid to become a true dark horse of the competition.
“We dropped back to third grade because a lot of fellas went away for work and we didn’t have the numbers,” Day said. “But we still got around each other and are keen to give it a decent crack this year. It wasn’t ideal, the fellas need that (competitive sport), but I think we just knew what we were going to build to this year.
“I think there were a lot of questions around whether we would get back, but I think we’ve proved to everyone we are. Even though we played in third grade, and won the premiership, that was a trial building year, testing new game shapes and styles to see what we could bring this year.”
What that period has seemingly brought is a fierce bond within the club.
Starved of high-level competition, Day believes the culture within the Charters Towers’ ranks has never been stronger, and it has showed in their back-to-back victories.
Young players are being mentored by the seasoned members of the club, and bringing with them extra energy and enthusiasm.
A brace of tries to winger Sam Meteyard stole the show for the Bulls, however Day credited the resilience of their engine room.
Typically the Bulls’ forward pack has been smaller than their rivals, but
Day said the heart it had shown had been the catalyst for the earlyseason success.
“In the past we’ve been known to be the smaller side, but we’ve been really working on holding our shape, holding our structure and being strong even though we might be smaller than other teams,” he said.
“I think we’ve really tidied up out wide on the wing; we sucked them into the forwards, tipped wide and scored a fair few out on the edge.
“Sam Meteyard grabbed a double, he had an awesome game — he’s solid in defence and a great finisher — and that was the strongest point of the game.”