TRILLO METALS MEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS DETERMINED TO CEMENT SOUTHERN SUPREMACY
After winning the South Island Championship and the National Championship final in their first year under the coaching of Walter Wilson in 2024, the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls have their sights set on the final of the revamped NZRL National Men’s Premiership in two months’ time.
Under the new format, the Trillo Metals Men’s Bulls will feature in the southern half of the competition. After five rounds, the top team on the table will take on the best side from the northern round-robin in the national final at Massey Park in Papakura on Sunday, October 12.
Wilson, with the help of selectors and former Kiwis Mike Dorreen and Mark Nixon, has named a formidable 24-strong squad for the upcoming campaign.
“It’s been good competition this season and you’ll note with the names that we’ve selected, there’s a high number from one particular club that won the grand final, and a good number of debutantes,” Wilson says.
“We’re pretty excited about what that looks like, especially having a good base from last year that we’ve worked with before.
“We’re really happy with the guys that have been putting their hand up saying they want to play this year.
“It’s a big contrast from last year – not that people didn’t want to play, but the fact that we’ve got guys coming up and saying they want to represent the Bulls has been great.”
The blistering CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership form of a host of newcomers, plus the 2024 deeds of the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls mainstays, has created hot competition for spots in the gameday line-up.
It’s a good headache for any coach to have, according to Wilson.
“I’m excited about everyone that we’ve selected because it’s going to be a tough selection,” the 1990s Canterbury rep enthuses.
“You’ve got some real excitement coming with the likes of Tommy ‘Two Guns’ [Ruwhiu], I think they call him, the fullback from Linwood.
“Then there’s Saki [Lomanikaya] in the second-row and the return of Uriah Tuli, a past Bulls player who has been a superstar all through the grades and that hasn’t changed, and [Ketesemane] Pouli returning in the six and seven space. Then we look at last year’s stalwarts…where do I stop talking about these lads?
“Our bench is going to be exciting. [There’s quality players] who will be watching them on the sideline, because we can’t pick any more than 17 to go on the field. We’ve just got a really good crew.”
Along with 12 players from the premiership-winning Keas, five members of Riccarton Knights’ grand final team have made the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls squad – including a historic father-son duo, veteran prop Kyle Leka and tyro outside-back Joel Leka.
The pair are joined by Eastern Eagles playmaker Taniela Leka, Kyle’s brother and Joel’s uncle…as Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls manager Mel Tukapua quipped in the comments of the team announcement, ‘Holy hecka, that’s alotta Leka!’
Meanwhile, Sean Spooner – after playing a key role in the Knights’ success as an assistant coach to Brent Ringdahl – will be an assistant on Wilson’s staff along with Kevin Te Hau, while Grant Downing joins the fold as trainer.
Wilson praised the cooperation of the local coaching fraternity as being especially helpful in the lead-up to picking the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls squad.
“It’s been good having a chat to a number of the coaches during the season – none more so than (Linwood and former Bulls coach) Andrew Auimatagi. He’s been a good person to lean on for discussions.”
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls’ season gets underway on September 7 with an assignment against Aoraki Eels in Timaru, before heading to Invercargill to take on Southland Rams the following weekend.
With West Coast a late withdrawal from the competition – meaning Canterbury has a bye on the weekend of September 20-21 – the Trillo Metals Men’s Bulls sole game at Ngā Puna Wai is against Otago Whalers on September 27.
Their round-robin foray concludes with another road trip to face Wellington Orcas, who the Danny Samuelu-Latu skippered Trillo Metals Men’s Bulls defeated in the 2024 National Championship final at Ngā Puna Wai.
SECOND-HALF SURGE LIFTS TRILLO METALS CANTERBURY BULLS TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
“It’s definitely our goal to get right through [to the national final], but you take it one week at a time,” Wilson says.
“We’ve got some exciting things happening this week with some support from (Mana Facilitation counsellor and wellbeing specialist) Wiremu Gray who’s going to be facilitating a few things with us.”
The home clash with Otago is one several Canterbury players will have circled in the calendar after suffering a crucial loss in Dunedin in the 2023 NZRL National Men’s Premiership.
“There’s a lot of pride that goes with the Canterbury jersey and we’re seeing that being revived…not that it wasn’t there before, but we just want to bring some real passion back to that jersey
“I’m sure the guys that were involved with that particular game two seasons ago, they’d want to rectify it.
“So we’ll be going to Aoraki for the first game, then travelling to Southland and to Wellington. And if all goes our way then hopefully to Auckland for that last game of the comp.”
TRILLO METALS MEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS – 2025 NATIONAL MEN’S PREMIERSHIP SCHEDULE
2pm, Sunday, September 7 – vs Aoraki at Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru
TBC, Sunday, September 14 – vs Southland at Star Rugby League, Invercargill
2pm, Saturday, September 27 – vs Otago at Ngā Puna Wai, Christchurch
12pm, Saturday, October 4 – vs Wellington at League Park, Wellington
12pm, Sunday, October 12 – 1st North vs 1st South at Massey Park, Papakura
