TRILLO METALS MEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS EYEING UP THEIR PIECE OF HISTORY IN NATIONAL FINAL
After completing an undefeated round-robin campaign against their southern rivals, the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls head to Auckland this weekend determined not to be merely making up the numbers in the NZRL National Men’s Premiership final.
Canterbury last won the national title in 2014, while Sunday’s showdown with Counties Manukau Stingrays at Papakura’s Massey Park represents the Bulls’ first appearance in the competition’s decider since going down to Akarana Falcons at a soaked North Harbour Stadium in 2022.
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls overwhelmed Aoraki Eels (58-12) and Southland Rams (44-4) prior to their third-round bye, before securing the southern section crown with hard-earned wins over Otago Whalers (30-20) and Wellington Orcas (34-20).
“It’s been a really good campaign, we’ve had really good buy-in from the boys,” Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls coach Walter Wilson says.
“We’ve got a great leadership group there led by [Etelani Pouli] and Kyle [Leka]. Anything we’re asking of them, they do tenfold.
“It’s been really exciting to watch and we’ve been getting better each week – I’m looking forward to what might roll out this weekend.
“We are lucky enough to have some combinations from clubland – it’s not just what has been put together over this last five or six weeks, it’s also been generated at club level.
“We’ve got a Linwood edge on our left side and a combination of a Riccarton and Halswell edge on the right, so it’s that makes the job a lot easier.”
Wilson and his charges are acutely aware they need to go up another level to overcome the Stingrays, who are looking to atone for their one-point loss to Auckland Vulcans in the 2024 final.
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls powered out to big first-half leads against the Whalers (20-0) and Orcas (18-0) but took their foot off the gas and let their opponents back into the contest.
“There’s a lot of a lot of things for us to fix and improve on,” Wilson admits.
“The boys know what we are going be talking about [at training], but it’s just exciting that we get this opportunity – and not taking anything away from the teams we’ve played – but it’s always going to be tough playing the top team from Auckland.”
Meanwhile, former Canterbury representative Wilson believes his team can use the underdog tag to their advantage.
“I definitely don’t mind it.
“I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s been some comments that the southern sides aren’t competitive enough – I vehemently disagree with that.
“We’ve got an opportunity to show something this weekend.”
The stars have aligned in 2025 to give the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls a chance to create history in a season that marks 100 years since Canterbury’s maiden victory over Auckland, 50 years since the province’s first-ever win at Carlaw Park and 25 years since the Bulls’ capture of the inaugural Bartercard Cup title.
A brief history lesson will play its part in this week’s build-up.
“I don’t think we need to add anything to motivate the lads … but things like that do matter and we’ll certainly bring it up.
“The likes of Mark Nixon, one of our selectors, rang me up with such enthusiasm on Saturday after the game, about what he’d watched and what he thought about the boys and the belief he has.
“Coming from Mark – who’s played in a lot of big games, has played for New Zealand – showing that much passion from a selector’s point of view motivates the lads, too.”
MAGNFICENT MILESTONES A POSITIVE OMEN FOR TRILLO METALS MEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS
Nixon captained Canterbury’s iconic 36-12 national championship final defeat of Auckland in 1993, while Wilson was a tryscorer in a 21-18 loss when the teams met in a Rugby League Cup clash at the Addington Show Grounds in 1995.
Further personal connections to the rivalry come in the form of 2024 Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls trainer Shane Beyers and 2025 assistant coach Kevin Te Hau, who teamed up in the front-row in the Bulls’ 38-24 victory over Ōtāhuhu Leopards in the 2000 Bartercard Cup final.
Wilson reveals he challenged the current crop to carve out their own niche in Canterbury’s 113-year-old representative narrative.
“ We spoke at the start of the campaign before we even threw a footy around of training, about what do we want it to look like for you when you sit back in 30 years and contemplate what you did in rugby league?”
“These boys have got some very firm goals.”
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls kick off against Counties Manukau Stingrays in the NZRL National Men’s Premiership final on Sunday, October 12 at 12pm.
The match will be screened live on Sky Sports channel 53.
