Bay captain and loose forward James Grogan summed it up when he said: “It’s looking like we could have an awesome Heartland season.”
The Bush opened the scoring with a Sam Monaghan penalty to which the Bay replied with one of their own from first five-eighth Jake Holmes.
The first of their three tries came in the 10th minute.
It started with a bust from a set piece near halfway led by halfback Willy Grogan. He fed right-winger Karl Macpherson, who ran deep into the Bush 22 then off-loaded to debutant centre Tawhao Stewart to score.
Holmes converted to make it 10-3.
Monaghan slotted a second penalty at the 38-minute mark but the Bay surged back immediately to score their second five-pointer.
No.8 Siosiua Moala grabbed the ball off the back of a ruck 10 metres out from the Bush line and charged over a couple of Bush defenders to score.
The Bay went into halftime 15-6 and deservedly so, having dominated territory and possession.
They started the second stanza where they left off. Holmes added two penalties in five minutes as the Bay continued to spend much of the time in the Bush half.
Fullback Isaia Vuki added a fourth penalty, then came a sensational third and final try.
The Bay got their hands on turnover ball after a Bush surge near the Bay 22.
It was spun wide into the hands of Karl Macpherson, who ran 70 metres down the sideline, evading a couple of tacklers, to score under the posts.
Vuki converted and the Bay had the win in the bag.
“It was very tough out there but it’s awesome to see how far the boys have come,” Grogan said.
“A lot of us have come through the grades together since high school, so it’s just a matter of building on the connections we already have.”
Grogan’s support play and tackle count were exceptional and Bay management named him their player of the match.
Moala was another standout, picking up where he left off from the club season with some powerful runs.
The Bay pack went well. They won most of their lineout ball, with lock Willis Tamatea prominent, and their scrum was solid despite conceding a tighthead.
The backs were vigorous and cohesive and attacked accurately at pace.
“The boys played well,” said coach Mana Otai. “What was exciting was that we created at least five other try-scoring opportunities.
“There is still work to be done but the effort was there, and I was also excited by the boys’ enthusiasm.
“We just have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working away at the finer details of our play.”
The Jeremy David Memorial Trophy was presented to Grogan by David’s uncle Phil Karaitiana.
Grogan and Bush skipper Eddie Cranston talked about the significance of the game and the emotion involved for the players who knew the late David.
“It has been seven years since we won this. We talked about what Jeremy and the trophy meant to us a lot in the week leading up to today,” Grogan said.
He thanked the Bay supporters and wished the Bush all the best for their Heartland season.
Cranston paid tribute to the Bay’s performance. “They played a fantastic game. it was one hell of an effort. They taught us a very good lesson today. I think we will be better for it.”
Bush coach Joe Hargood said the Bay should be proud of their win.
“Good on them. They deserved it.”
Former All Black halfback Piri Weepu played the full 80 minutes for the Bush.
“It was a frustrating game for us but the Bay certainly dug deeper than we did.
“This was my first game of rugby since February, since returning from France, and it was good to be back on the field again. I enjoyed it. I’ve come through it OK but I hope I don’t have to play another 80 minutes next week.”
