Canberra Raiders Cup Under 19's: Grand Final Preview

The future of Canberra Region Rugby League will be on display as the Goulburn City Bulldogs and Woden Valley Rams meet head on in a mouthwatering matchup as the minor premiers face the defending premiers. 

After finishing minor premiers, the Goulburn City Bulldogs secured a comprehensive win over the Blues in the major semi final which booked their spot in the 2024 decider and allowed them to have the week off and see who their opponents would be. 

"We've got a bit to improve on but if we can perform the same as that [major semi final], we should be firing and ready to go," Bulldogs captain Mitch Latham said. 

"We've got heaps of confidence, we're really building, we haven't really had the perfect game this year, so hopefully we can stick to our structure.

"It's been 11 years since Goulburn's won a Grand Final, so it'll be good to rip in and do it with the boys." 

Meanwhile, the Rams finished in third position after the home and away season and have collected two finals victories on their way to consecutive grand final appearances. 

"It was a tough battle for us, but we did really well to get through," said Rams captain Max Mercer. 

"We had a couple of 17's boys step up, because we had a few injuries, and they did really well for us." 

With five tries in the finals series, Jayden Norgrove has been instrumental in the Rams finals charge which sees them boast a minor semi final win over the Bushrangers and then knocking out the Queanbeyan Blues in the preliminary final. 

"He [Norgrove] is a gun player, I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do for us in the Grand Final," Mercer said. 

The two sides have faced off twice this year, with the Bulldogs securing a comprehensive 44-10 win in round three at Phillip Oval, before a 20-all draw between the two sides in round 12 at Workers Arena. 

Mercer believes the key to success on Sunday is to win the forwards battle. 

"They've [Goulburn] got a very big forward pack and talent across the board as well, we've just got to focus on locking them down and beating them through the middle," said Mercer. 

The Rams have the advantage in the finals with a dominant 50-10 victory over Goulburn in last year’s major semi final. 

With clear conditions predicted and the competition's top six try scorers all set to line up in this Sunday’s grand final, expectations are set for a fast and attacking style of game.