The comeback is almost complete for Melton Rugby Union club.
After a year in recess to regroup, the club made an immediate impact on its return.
This top side has been a force in Victoria Rugby League 2B division, topping the ladder at the end of the regular season on the back of 12 straight wins.
On Saturday, they made it 13 wins in a row, and booked a grand final berth, after a 29-24 win over Cerberus.
Club vice-president Liam Devlin said there had been a few nervous moments, with Cerberus in the game until the last possession.
“It was one of the tougher games,” he said.
“We played a side that is made up of a lot of navy people. Like us they have been building all season.
“It came down to the last play of the day, and we were trying to stop them scoring. I was on the ground and it was pretty nerve-wracking.”
Greg Forster, Kawana Kidwell, Alan Onekawa and Junior Afoa were try scorers for Melton. Devlin said it was an incredible feeling to have secured a spot in the grand final, and to see how far they’ve come.
“The boys are pretty ecstatic and excited,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a shock that we’ve made the grand final, but we didn’t expect to play as well as we have this year.
“We knew we would be competitive and wanted to get a side back on the path to play competitive rugby. Winning 13 games in a row, we have good confidence in the side.”
Melton will face Ballarat in an all regional side grand final on Saturday at RHL Sparks Reserve in Box Hill.
Ballarat is the only team to defeat Melton way back in round three. Ballarat won that match 31-27. The second time the two played, Melton won 22-3.
Like Melton, Ballarat’s match against Melbourne went down to the final play of the match.
Devlin said it will be a match that could go either way, with Ballarat a side they rated very highly.
“Both sides have quality backs and strong forwards,” he said. “It’ll be a close contest and I don’t think there will be much in it.”
