CSU Mungals are within one win of defending their Mid West League Tag title following a comprehensive shutout victory against the Orange Barbarians on Saturday.
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Mungals dominated from the outset to record a 28-0 victory at Oberon, giving themselves a chance to earn revenge against their major semi-final slayers Cargo Heelers.
If there was one key factor to the Mungals' success, especially when compared to their 32-14 loss the previous weekend, it was their enthusiasm in defence.
Coach Phil Tuilau said it was like watching a completely different team at work during Saturday's preliminary final.
"It was a much better effort. We trained really well and we upped the ante a bit knowing that we had to be better," he said.
"In the game against Orange, from the warm-up right through until the end of the game, there was a lot more intensity and it was a much better performance. Everyone did what I asked of them.
"We focused a lot on our attacking structure because I think we've relied on a couple of players to do all the work for us and to score our tries. But this time it was more spread out and a lot more even."
That team play didn't take long to come to light at Oberon.
Once the Mungals had picked up their first points early in the game they took the contest away from the Barbarians with a combination of their speed in attack and defence.
Tuilau said the way his team fought to keep great field position was admirable.
"That was a highlight of the game," he said.
"I don't think we were ever caught inside our own 30m throughout the game. Even time in our own half was minimal.
"That was a mix of our strong defence - getting up off the line quicker than we have been for the past few weeks - and just keeping the pressure on them."
CSU aren't getting carried away though despite the impressive win on Saturday.
Their loss to Cargo was an eye-opening experience for the team, especially considering CSU's unparalleled run of success in the league tag competition.
The Mungals know they'll need an even more polished performance than the one against the Barbarians on the last day of the season.
While the pace against the Barbarians was much more encouraging Tuilau wants to see if the side can back up that level of effort for a second game running.
"We know that Cargo plays far faster. While it was great defence from us we know the next game is going to be quicker," he said.
"The game was still great for us though because it helped us improve in a lot of things. The grand final is it's own thing, and we can only work on what we can control so we can prevent any mistakes from happening."
CSU have won every single Mid West league tag competition since its inception, and that streak is still a possibility of extending another year thanks to the preliminary final win.