Werribee Bears need to re-group – and fast – or their glittering NRL Victoria first-grade campaign will come to a premature end.
The minor premiers have lost two games in a row, with Saturday’s 28-16 major semi-final defeat by Casey Warriors at Fregon Reserve providing the ultimate shock to the system for a side that lost only one home-and-away match.
“It is a big-time wake-up call for myself and everyone right across the field,” Bears player-coach Phil Pese told Star Weekly.
The Bears were far and away the best side in the home-and-away rounds and they entered the final as warm premiership favourites.
But the Warriors were the better side on Saturday and rightly earned their grand final berth.
And it has forced the Bears to take the undesired long route to the big dance through a preliminary final with South Eastern Titans this Saturday.
It is not only two successive lacklustre performances that have Pese concerned, as the Bears were slapped with a warning from NRL Victoria for crowd trouble at their final home game before the finals.
Pese understands the sanction gives the referee power to cancel a game even if a minor on-field incident takes place in the heat of battle.
The Bears were also miffed about having to play their first final in Clayton, despite finishing on top of the ladder.
Incredibly, if the Bears beat South Eastern Titans in the preliminary final, second-placed Casey will play a home final at Casey Fields.
“There are some decisions that I don’t think anyone can explain,” Pese said.
Of most concern to Pese is the form of his team. They hardly put a foot wrong until two weeks ago and they need to regain the spark that saw them take the competition by storm earlier in the season.
Pese said his side fought hard against the Warriors but might have been underdone after playing just one full game in the previous three weeks. “We haven’t had a good preparation for the finals,” he said after the match.
“Today was pretty much our first full game in four weeks.
“There were too many byes, a team forfeited and then last week unforeseen circumstances saw the game called off early. But I can’t fault their efforts – it was just one of those days.”
The Bears try-scorers were Repaio Jones, Redeem Saleupolu and Kieran Timothy.
