Tumut held off a late Leeton fightback to seal third spot and ensure a second chance come finals time.
The Bulls came into the round two points clear of Waratahs and three points clear of Griffith but their 19-12 win has ensured they keep hold of third spot.
After Leeton opened the scoring, Tumut charged ahead to lead 19-5 with three minutes before the Phantoms had one more chance to knock the Bulls down to fourth.
Coach Tim Graham was relieved to come out on top.
“It was a bit of a battle in the second half but we held on,” Graham said. “It was a really good day with all three men’s grades winning again.”
Despite four wins since the competition split, Graham is looking for his team to be more consistent as he thought they fell away in the second half.
The two teams will meet in the premier division qualifying semi-final at Conolly Rugby Complex on Saturday.
This time the Bulls won’t have the home ground advantage but have gained confidence from the win after a heavy loss earlier this season.
“It’s going to be a tough one against these guys again but it gives you a bit more confidence,” Graham said.
“Hopefully we can keep building for the finals.
“It is a little bit of a mental edge, although it could fire them up more than anything, but it gives us the belief we are good enough to beat those guys.”
The Bulls win also ensures club stalwart Jock Mason left Jarrah Park for final time as a winner.
At 36, Mason announced he will retire at the end of the season, and Graham thought it was a fitting way to finish his last home game.
“It is Jock’s last home game, apparently, so it was good to send him off with a win,” he said.
Tumut has one injury concern out of the clash with Joe Reynolds suffering a badly broken nose after being hit by Farrel Moata.
Moata was given a yellow card after the incident, while Reynolds is expected to undergo surgery.
The Phantoms were down to 13 men at one stage with Moata and Marika Vunibaka both sent to the sin bin.
An under strength Leeton will be bolstered by the return of Bill Bevan, Sam Allen, Luke Collins and Maika Ravouvou for the final.
Full-time
TUMUT 19 (J Reynolds, J Cutteridge, W Onus tries; C Manuelavao 2 cons) d LEETON 12 (S Dyer, J Kafoa-Penne tries; S Dyer con)
