Bathurst Bulldogs can complete perfect second grade season with grand final win over Orange City

The Bathurst Bulldogs' second grade team are one victory away from perfection, with only Orange City standing between them and that achievement.

The defending champion Bulldogs haven't missed a beat after taking out last year's crown, claiming 15 wins from as many games while missing a bonus point on just one occasion.

Bulldogs survived a tough major semi-final encounter with the Orange Emus, to the tune of 25-18, and many would have been expecting a rematch with the greens on the last day of the season, only for the Lions to stun their cross city rivals 19-18 in a preliminary final thriller.

The Bathurst men have recorded some massive wins over the Lions this season but co-coach Adam Dwyer is on full alert against a City side who look to be peaking at the right time of the year.

"We've had a really good season. Bulldogs as a whole have been really strong over the past two years, with every team making grand finals in that time," he said.

"That's something that filters down from the top because Dean Oxley has done such a great job.

"We weren't surprised at all to see Orange City get through. I actually backed them to beat Orange Emus over the weekend. I watched that game and Emus played traditionally rugby with strong lineouts, mauls and scrums - which tested us out when we played them - but City hung in there and got the win.

"I think Lions will play a similar game to us, pretty expansive, and they'll throw the ball around a bit.

Given the number of injuries to the Bulldogs first grade side deeper into this year's Blowes Cup season it could have put a big strain on the second grade team's stocks.

However, Dwyer said the excellent depth at the club doesn't just stop at his side.

"Our third graders have done a great job stepping up for us. I'd be happy to have five to six of those guys in that team in our starting side - not a problem at all," he said.

"The depth in the club has been amazing. Without a couple of season-ending injuries at the club this side would be even stronger.

"This year was kind of unprecedented with the number of players that we had. We had to have fresh reserves and made sure that people were getting game time, so we had a lot of people coming on and off the field.

"We've been winning our games by over 30 points on average, which is pretty damn good."

Bulldogs' second grade side has once again managed to get an ideal experience-youth blend, which has built its way into a cohesive unit throughout the year.

"We've got some great old heads in our team like Scotty Johnston and Tonk [Phil Tonkin] who have played a hell of a lot of first grade, like myself and Alex [Weal, co-coach] ... and they all know the job that needs to be done, and they'll show City a lot of respect," Dwyer said.

"There's a bit of pressure on us to get it done. They've got everything to win and nothing to lose."

The second grade grand final at Ashwood Park starts from 1.30pm.