The Rams came out firing, running out to a 17-7 lead against the home side at Weebolla Oval on Saturday, July 21.

The Bulls fought back to take the lead 21-20 but in the final 10 minutes of the game the Rams scored twice to finish on top with the final score 32-21.

“They were pretty tough, which was expected,” Bulls first grade coach Peter Copeman said.

“They always seem to come good at this time of the year; they did the same thing last year.

“Their defence was good.

“With 10 [minutes] to go, we were leading 21-20 but I think we relaxed a little or took the pressure off and they scored one try and then scored one right on the bell.

“The game was closer than the score suggests.”

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Copeman said his side let too many first-up passes drop and made a few too many silly mistakes.

“You can’t do that against these sides,” he said.

The Bulls were also missing a few key players which Copeman said showed.

“We lacked a bit of finishing speed,” he said.

“The guys there played well though.

“[Walcha] has three country players in their back-line but we contained them pretty well.

“Our scrum was good, our line-up was up and down.”

Matt Wannan was the Bulls’ standout player, receiving three points. Heath Riggs, Dan Coulthurst, Jaime Sampson, Ben Williams and Tim Cassegrain (coming off the bench) also played well.

The loss sees Moree drop back down to second place on the first grade ladder, now four points behind Tamworth Pirates who reclaimed top spot after a 40-19 win against Scone on Saturday.

“This might have shot our chances of getting a major semi-final,” Copeman said.

“[If we want to get back on top] we’ve got to win with the bonus points and they’ve got to lose.”

Meanwhile, Moree’s second grade side continued their top form on Saturday with a 45-19 win against Walcha.

The Bulls will travel to Gunnedah to take on the Red Devils this Saturday, July 28.