SINGLETON Rugby Club toppled premiers Nelson Bay 23-22 in a Hunter Suburban Grand Final qualifier at Newcastle’s No 2 Sportsground last weekend.

With inspirational skipper Jackson Walsh leading the way, the Red Bulls staged a second half revival to edge out the Gropers and book a spot in this year’s premiership decider on August 24.

Trailing 22-18, the powerhouse prop turned match winner when he crashed through defenders to nab a vital five pointer with only four minutes left on the clock.

In a cracking contest, the Gropers squandered a 15-3 lead midway through the second half to suffer their first defeat in nearly four months.

Walsh played a key role in the Red Bulls triumph – posting his team’s second try and booting a conversion and two crucial penalty goals.

Nelson Bay now have a do-or-die preliminary final showdown with Newcastle Griffins this Saturday after they eliminated Cooks Hill Brown Snakes 27-25.

In an ironic twist, the Singleton XV were the last team to roll the Gropers – registering a 15-10 victory in a second round fixture on April 20 at Rugby Park.

Nelson Bay Head Coach Michael Wiringi told News Of The Area “that all is not lost with this year’s campaign”.

“We took our eye off the ball in those final fifteen minutes of play and paid the price,” quipped the premiership-winning Kiwi.

“Now the squad has to reset and focus on beating Newcastle Griffins in this Saturday’s preliminary final,” he added.

Nelson Bay will be rueing that intensity drop against Singleton in the closing stages but have the class and experience to force their way into the Presidents Cup trophy decider.

Stalwart lock forward Adam Edwards produced a best-on-ground performance for the Gropers and remains a vital cog in the team’s quest for back-to-back premierships.

He was rewarded with a determined try under the posts after peeling off the back of a rolling Nelson Bay maul to give his side a 22-18 advantage.

The evergreen Edwards proved a tower of strength for the premiers with his powerful runs and non-stop defensive work a feature.

Nelson Bay opened the scoring with a try by winger Taj Turner after sixteen minutes before Walsh replied for the Red Bulls with a penalty goal.

Talented forward Ryan Marshall grabbed his team’s second try to give the Gropers a 10-3 lead at the interval and when the flamboyant Ilisoni Vonomatairatu crossed after the break the premiers were well on top.

Singleton forwards Ben Caskey and Tom Kotzur kept their side in the hunt with second half tries and when skipper Walsh landed a second penalty goal the Red Bulls jumped to an 18-15 lead.

Nelson Bay missed the services of injured half back Jake Langsford and several key forwards but received massive value from veteran centre Michael Hotene, who menaced the Red Bulls with his guile and class.

By Chris KARAS