Earning the right to host the Central North Rugby Union (CNRU) grand final is a massive incentive for the Gunnedah Red Devils, as they host the Moree Bulls in Saturday’s major semi-final at Gunnedah Rugby Park.

With the Red Devils first and the Bulls second on the points table, Saturday’s winner will host the decider whereas the losing team opposes the Quirindi Lions in the preliminary final.

The third-placed Quirindi won 36-12 last Saturday to knock the fourth-placed Narrabri out of the finals race.

With the Red Devils and Bulls coming off a bye, Gunnedah skipper Tim McDermott said the Red Devils had “certainly moved on” from their last-gasp 45-38 loss to the lowly-placed Tamworth Pirates in their previous outing.

“It’s finals time now, and whoever is the best team over the next month will win the competition,” he said.

McDermott said the loss to the Pirates was disappointing, but that the Red Devils would “be far better come the major semi-final at home”.

“We have responded really well on the training paddock, and are looking for a far improved performance come Saturday,” he said.

“We know our intensity and attitude needs to lift for finals time.

“Our defence was disappointing against Pirates, but we’re confident that we can turn it around against Moree.”

McDermott said a home grand final was “massively motivating”, as Gunnedah Rugby Park “means so much to our team and the community”.

“We heard stories of the purchase and construction of the ground in the 70s and 80s at the start of the year, and it epitomises what Gunnedah Rugby is all about,” he said.

“Any opportunity to play at Rugby Park is awesome.

“The town and supporters have really got behind us in every finals series we’ve been a part (of) which means a lot to our squad.”

McDermott said the Red Devils “certainly” needed to treat finals fixtures differently from round-robin matches, as the players were focused on their squad and playing their game.

“(It) is really exciting,” he said.

“The squad is so proud of what we’ve achieved so far but know that the big test is in the next month.

“Finals footy by its nature is much faster and physical than regular season games, but we’re excited to lift to the next level!”

As for whether it was beneficial to have a bye or if it was preferable to play each week, McDermott said it was “very beneficial to have a freshen up after the regular season”.

“Our boys have been putting in a mountain of work on and off the park to get themselves in the best condition for finals footy,” he said.

With the Red Devils having won just once last year, the team underwent numerous personnel changes this year while McDermott said he thought a change in mindset was focused on, “playing together as a team and working hard for each other”.

As for the Bulls, McDermott said they were “really strong across the park with proved finals experience”.

“They have a really strong back-row who are very fast on the ball, so ball security will be a huge focus for us this week,” he said.

“We know we can match it with the forwards, especially at set piece time so it will be a fantastic game.

“I’d say the backlines are very evenly matched, both extremely fast with some physical bodies in the middle.”

Moree beat Gunnedah 45-28 back in round one, before the Red Devils won the rematch 25-12.

Red Devils president Bruce Hockings said the club was extremely proud of what the first graders had achieved this year.

“They have been the most consistent side all year, and thoroughly deserve to be 2025 minor premiers,” he said.

“We are expecting huge support on the day for the boys against Moree.

“It should be a great game, as Moree have recently been playing very well.

“We are looking forward to hosting the major semi on Saturday, and hopefully the grand final in two weeks’ time.”