Bulls hold their nerve to make the Grand Final

And then there were two.

In the preliminary final between North Brunswick and Wattle Park, it was the Bulls who booked their spot into the Grand Final with a thrilling three-point win over the Animals at Elsternwick Park.

Coming into the match, the Animals were arguably favourites, having won their previous home and away matches against the Bulls.

But North Brunswick, off the back of their commanding win against Richmond Central in the elimination semi-final, were certainly capable of pulling off a minor upset.

It was a defensive battle to start proceedings, with the Animals managing to get the first goal through their captain, Harry Davis.

But the Bulls managed to go score for score with Wattle Park, which would see the game tied at 13 apiece at quarter time.

The second quarter was also low scoring, with only six scoring shots for the quarter. Out of that, the Bulls took the lead by seven points going into halftime.

A three-goal run in the third quarter would open up the game for the Bulls as they lead for a then game high lead of 21 points at the final break and looked on their way to booking their ticket to the big dance.

However, Wattle Park would come home strong to put the North Brunswick under pressure.

The Animals managed to get the first two scoring shots, which both went for behinds, before Luke Russell kicked a goal for the Bulls to put the margin to 25 points.

From there, Wattle Park had the remaining seven scoring shots but were unable to take the lead.

In the end, the Animals’ wayward kicking would set them back as they finished the final quarter with three goals and six behinds. Had they been slightly more accurate, they would have likely found themselves facing off for a premiership.

And following that loss, Wattle Park’s season is officially over as they finish having gone out in straight sets.

Having been relegated from Division 2 this season, the Animals would be disappointed that they have not gone back up on the first time of trying, especially after starting the season 6-0 and winning their last seven games of the home and away season to earn a double chance.

But going into next year, they will certainly be the favourites to claim the premiership and use the example of North Brunswick and Power House of responding from their poor finals performance to motivate them for success.

For the Bulls, this victory sees them redeem themselves from last year’s finals failure after finishing 1st before going out in straight sets.

With North Brunswick winning, the Grand Final matchup is now locked in with the Bulls set to take on Power House in the decider.

Both teams in last year’s final series went out in straight sets after finishing 1st and 3rd respectively. And with new coaches at the helm this season, both teams once again found themselves 1st and 3rd.

But this time, they were able to avenge their previous failure and have given themselves a shot at winning it all.

In the regular season, both sides have beaten each other, which means it’s anybody’s to win. In their first clash, North Brunswick managed to break Power House’s undefeated start to the season with a dominant third quarter, helping them get across the line by seven points.

In their last match against one another, Power House managed to get out to a 43-point lead at halftime despite the Bulls rallying to bring the margin to 12 points.

For Power House, this win would see them lift their first premiership since 2006 and their first in Division 3 since 2000.

For North Brunswick, they would claim their second premiership in three years, but their first in Division 3 since 1974, when it was known as the F Section, should they be victorious.

Whoever wins, it should be an exciting and close match to conclude the 2025 VAFA Division 3 Men’s Season out at Preston City Oval on Sunday.