“The compass was invented before the clock, because the direction you are heading is more important than the time it takes to get there.”
Those were the words Cootamundra Bulldogs First Grade captain-coach Luke Berkrey had for his side after being defeated and having their season ended by South City Bulls on Sunday at Harris Park.
The quote was a strong reminder of just how far the Bulldogs have come in 12 months of football.
After finishing the 2025 season with just three wins to their credit, this year’s side had equalled that tally by Round 3 and eclipsed the previous season’s wins by Round 6.
With the Bulldogs needing a convincing win in the final round of the competition to steal a place in the top five, a red-hot South City unfortunately poured on seven tries in the final 25 minutes of the match to run away with a 48-4 victory.
A Jesse Fitzhenry try on the stroke of half-time gave South City a 12-0 lead at the break, after Nathan Rose had split the Cootamundra defence off a scrum earlier in the game in what was an evenly matched first half.
The Bulls scored the first couple of tries in the second half before Cootamundra’s leading try scorer, Harry Boxsell, crossed for his eleventh of the season and gave the visitors a sense of belief.
Injuries and a lack of fresh legs then played havoc for the Bulldogs late in the game and the class of both Rose and Matt Lyons capitalised on a tiring Cootamundra side, finishing with seven tries for the match between them.
Tai Vaavale continued his outstanding season and was a standout for the Bulldogs on what was essentially a tough day at the office, with Vaavale being supported well by other consistent performers in Joe Ward and Luke Berkrey.
Vaavale, Ward and Berkrey have led the charge for Cootamundra in their climb up the competition ladder, while fullback Sam Bragg is another worthy mention.
In a promising sign for the future and to further validate Berkrey’s belief that the Bulldogs are headed in the right direction, Sunday’s First Grade side included Boxsell, Josh Harris and Reid McTavish, all of whom are still eligible to play in the Weissel Cup competition.
Sam Elphick was also part of this year’s Weissel Cup side and made his First Grade debut against the Bulls.
The re-signing of Berkrey, Vaavale and fellow prop Nikola Sovatabua for 2027 provides a solid platform for the Bulldogs to continue to build from.
With the added confidence of what was a successful and somewhat over-achieving season, local fans have reason to believe the club is certainly headed on the right path.
Although all Bulldogs men’s sides including Reserve Grade and Under 18s are finished for the season, Cootamundra still has a premiership chance left in the club’s League Tag side, which finished the regular season in third spot and plays the Temora Dragons on Sunday in a Qualifying Final at Anzac Park in Gundagai.
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