Bulls will improve after big grand final loss - coach

Canterbury Bulls head coach Walt Wilson believes his team will only improve after the experience of playing in the grand final of rugby league’s national premiership.

The Bulls, top qualifiers from the southern pool, went down 46-0 in Sunday’s final against the Counties Manukau Stingrays, the top team from the north.

Wilson said his side needed more opportunities to test themselves against opponents of that calibre in order to be competitive at the national level.

“We’ve got a lot more steps to go, and a big part of that will be having that exposure against some of these high-quality sides,” he said.

Wilson said the Bulls were outclassed by Counties, whose suffocating line speed prevented Canterbury from making any ground on attack.

“There were a lot of heads down after the game, but what I admired about the boys was they just kept fighting in a really physical contest.”

Wilson said he hoped to be involved with the team again next year, after a successful season where Canterbury made it to their first national final in three years.