WHILE the Bathurst Bulldogs head into the second week of the 2014 Central West Rugby Union finals series with all four grades still in contention, it is the colts who can become the club’s first side through to the decider.

In order to do so, they must topple minor premiers Orange City in Dubbo tomorrow.

A strong 21-8 win over the Dubbo Kangaroos last Saturday in Orange saw the Bulldogs advance to the major semi-final clash at Victoria Park, while City return to action after sitting out the opening week of finals.

Bulldogs maintained control of last Saturday’s match from the opening minute,  Dubbo’s only try coming with less than five minutes left to play.

The result has Bulldogs coach Damien Grant feeling confident, but he is keeping a level head despite being two wins away from the premiership.

“I’ve been in my share of grand finals, so I’m under no illusions. We’re a long way from having the job done. Once you get to the final it’s still a difficult task,” he said.

“They’re a group of men that play within themselves and sometimes that can be a good thing. They never stress out too hard. They felt they had the job done [against Dubbo] and they backed off, but they were never threatened. That’s just one of the traits of this team. 

“We’ve now put ourselves in a really good position to be premiers. They’ve all just been going about their work, committed to training and turning up well on the day.”

Grant believes his team will need to adjust to a different style of rugby against the Lions. 

City finished the regular season seven points clear of the Bulldogs on the ladder, scored over 150 points more from their 18 matches than the Bathurst side and boast the best defensive record in the grade.

“City are a strong club and they work the breakdown hard ... they will play the ball with a lot more width compared to what Dubbo did,” he said.

“We’ve got to bring the enthusiasm into our game, that’s all I can ask for from the guys.”

The two teams go into the game with one win apiece from their prior meetings this season.

Travis Gibson will be rested from the match after injuring his shoulder against Dubbo, so Kaea Moore moves from the second row to flanker to cover for him.

Brad Donnelley will be part of the run-on side in the forwards, while Jayman Carter gets a starting spot at outside centre.

The match will kick-off from 10.50am at Victoria Park.

BATHURST BULLDOGS: 1 Julian Gaal, 2 Jock Grant, 3 Tim Serukai, 4 Brad Donnelley, 5 Dave LeBreton, 6 Brendan Nelson, 7 Kaea Moore, 8 John Melville, 9 James Weekes, 10 Adam Miles (c), 11 Josh Weekes, 12 DJ Serukai, 13 Jayman Carter, 14 Joe Crawford, 15 Kurt Weekes.