Bulls serve up fresh approach for playoff
Instead of arduous training sessions at their Linfield Park home ground, the squad has recently opted for short Thursday night sessions on the grass, before going out for a team dinner.
They face High School Old Boys at Bob Deans Field on Saturday, with the winner advancing to next week's grand final.
Head coach Brendon Nolan said the focus in recent weeks had been on building team connections.
'I'm real keen for the guys just to bond and recognise the moments we're creating at the moment,' he said.
'You can skip through them pretty quickly and then it's a bit late to reflect on. But if you're living in the moment and enjoying it, it's awesome.'
The proof is in the pudding – Linwood toppled Sydenham 35-25 on Saturday to reach the preliminary finals stage of the competition for the third consecutive season.
Despite being outscored four tries to three, they relied on the boot of first-five Josh Jennings, who slotted six penalties to put his team out of reach.
'Everyone's nailing their role, which is good for us at the moment,' Nolan said.
'The management, the groundsman, all the backroom staff, and the boys are just knuckling down.
'It's a good spot to be in.'
In the other preliminary final, top seeds Marist Albion will take on surprise package Lincoln University, who upset University of Canterbury 25-19 on Saturday.
Lincoln defended stoutly for the last two minutes before debutant Angus Reeves secured a vital turnover, which allowed his team to kick the ball out and clinch the victory.
It is the first time Lincoln has reached this stage of the competition since 2022.
Captain Zach Parkin said his men had improved as the season progressed, especially after going down 52-17 to University in round 3.
'On Saturday we lifted again and our defence closed it out,' he said.
'Everyone was out on their feet, absolutely buggered. It was a pretty unreal effort to finish.'
Parkin said Marist will be a tough opponent, with Lincoln having lost 33-26 when the teams met earlier in the season.
In the plate competition, New Brighton halfback Tyson Belworthy redeemed himself in their semi-final.
After missing a potentially match-winning penalty in last week's premier semi-final loss to Lincoln, Belworthy slotted a conversion in the last seconds to seal a 22-21 win over Sumner.
In the other plate semi-final, Belfast beat Burnside 55-19.
New Brighton and Belfast will now meet in the final at Rawhiti Domain.
Metro premier preliminary finals (2.45pm Sat)
• HSOB v Linwood, Bob Deans Field;
• Marist Albion v Lincoln University, Edgar MacIntosh Park
• New Brighton v Belfast, Rawhiti Domain
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Linwood are taking a novel build-up into the preliminary finals of the Metro premier competition on Saturday. Instead of arduous training sessions at their Linfield Park home ground, the squad has recently opted for short Thursday night sessions on the grass, before going out for a team dinner. They face High School Old Boys at Bob Deans Field on Saturday, with the winner advancing to next week's grand final. Head coach Brendon Nolan said the focus in recent weeks had been on building team connections. 'I'm real keen for the guys just to bond and recognise the moments we're creating at the moment,' he said. 'You can skip through them pretty quickly and then it's a bit late to reflect on. But if you're living in the moment and enjoying it, it's awesome.' The proof is in the pudding – Linwood toppled Sydenham 35-25 on Saturday to reach the preliminary finals stage of the competition for the third consecutive season. Despite being outscored four tries to three, they relied on the boot of first-five Josh Jennings, who slotted six penalties to put his team out of reach. 'Everyone's nailing their role, which is good for us at the moment,' Nolan said. 'The management, the groundsman, all the backroom staff, and the boys are just knuckling down. 'It's a good spot to be in.' In the other preliminary final, top seeds Marist Albion will take on surprise package Lincoln University, who upset University of Canterbury 25-19 on Saturday. Lincoln defended stoutly for the last two minutes before debutant Angus Reeves secured a vital turnover, which allowed his team to kick the ball out and clinch the victory. It is the first time Lincoln has reached this stage of the competition since 2022. Captain Zach Parkin said his men had improved as the season progressed, especially after going down 52-17 to University in round 3. 'On Saturday we lifted again and our defence closed it out,' he said. 'Everyone was out on their feet, absolutely buggered. It was a pretty unreal effort to finish.' Parkin said Marist will be a tough opponent, with Lincoln having lost 33-26 when the teams met earlier in the season. In the plate competition, New Brighton halfback Tyson Belworthy redeemed himself in their semi-final. After missing a potentially match-winning penalty in last week's premier semi-final loss to Lincoln, Belworthy slotted a conversion in the last seconds to seal a 22-21 win over Sumner. In the other plate semi-final, Belfast beat Burnside 55-19. New Brighton and Belfast will now meet in the final at Rawhiti Domain. Metro premier preliminary finals (2.45pm Sat) • HSOB v Linwood, Bob Deans Field; • Marist Albion v Lincoln University, Edgar MacIntosh Park • New Brighton v Belfast, Rawhiti Domain
