RUGBY LEAGUE: The Wallumbilla/Surat Red Bulls A-grade booked their ticket to the 2018 grand final after a 32-26 victory against the Chinchilla Bulldogs at Bassett Park on Sunday.

Capping an exciting first weekend of finals football, the absorbing match offered plenty to the travelling fans of both clubs.

Racing to a 10-0 lead, the Red Bulls showed their hand early before the Bulldogs worked their way back into the game scoring three unanswered tries.

What followed was an A-grade classic as both teams traded blows for 80 minutes, showing why they finished first and second on the ladder.

A 77th minute try courtesy of a Rory Weribone touchdown looked to have sealed the match for the Red Bulls - the subsequent conversion extending the gap to six points as the seconds ticked away.

Failure to keep the ball from bouncing into touch however, gave the Bulldogs one last shot to snatch it, but the Red Bulls blushes were saved thanks to resolute goal-line defence.

Coach Tony Knight praised the resilience of his team to keep a fast-finishing Bulldogs team from stealing victory at the death.

"It was great to see the boys dig in and just play for each other - the whole 17 really impressed me today - everyone did their job,” Knight said.

"The whole team was blowing at the end, they were puffed, no one came off the field looking fresh.”

The Red Bulls now play the waiting game with next week's semi-final between the Cities and Bulldogs to determine the second qualifier for the big dance on August 26.