Following a fiery and sometimes-unbelievable Western Premier League preliminary final local derby at Apex Oval on Saturday night, Dubbo Bulls have won through to next weekend’s grand final in Bathurst.

The referee had his hand in his pocket throughout the game – featuring equal parts passion and poor discipline – with the Bulls besting defending premiers, Macquarie United by 4-1 in the final wash-up. This was despite the Bulls playing most of the second half with only nine players on the field, against a 10-man MUFC, who also earned one red card themselves.

In the end though, it was all about blocking-out factors outside their control, team coach and goal-keeper Mitch Callinan proclaimed with a smile after the poor-old referee had blown the final whistle!

“Our defence won us the cherished spot in the decider; all season, we have built on a philosophy of winning what we can control, and that’s how it panned out tonight,” Callinan said.

“We cannot get inside the referee or our opposition, so we have to train our minds and bodies to achieve our goals,” he added.

While he knows this week’s match against Bathurst 75s away will really test his team, Callinan says that they will go to Proctor Park in a positive frame of mind.

“We set our goals at the start of the year, and this grand final spot was one of the big ones.

“We are hoping for some leniency at the judiciary but, whatever happens, we will call on our club’s first division players to fill the gaps.”

The coach was full of praise for former head honcho, Gareth Williams, who is also the Bulls’ longest-serving player.

“Gareth kicked the match-sealer for us tonight and that was his 14th or 15th for the season,” Callinan said.

“It has been a huge turnaround for the always-enthusiastic leader; I think he has appreciated having some of the long-term responsibilities off his shoulders,” he concluded.

The Bulls now travel to Bathurst’s Proctor Park on Saturday; with their “Orange Army” of supporters also making the journey east to show their support for the Bulls in what is the region’s premier football final.

The 2026 Western Premier League Grand Final is at Proctor Park on Saturday, August 29, from 4pm.