THE question of whether the Bathurst Bulldogs can match it with the big players in the Central West Rugby competition will be tested when they face leaders Dubbo Kangaroos away tomorrow.
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The season has been frustrating for the Bulldogs who haven't had back-to-back wins since stringing three in a row together in May. Tomorrow they get another chance.
It was a physical contest the last time the two teams met back in April in which the Bulldogs gave up their half-time lead in a 32-22 loss at Ashwood Park.
Bulldogs co-coach Scott Johnston says it is difficult to take much away from the first meeting between the two sides but the key to beating them has not changed.
"I think we played each other really early on in the season and by the looks of their results in the last couple of weeks they are playing some really good football," he said.
"They have a couple of key players in the forwards and a couple of the backs. One of the ways to stop them from getting into the game is to shut down their hooker Peter Nau, which is where they find a lot of their play from. You'll find usually that if he's playing well then Dubbo as a whole do.
"This match is a good chance for us to take a look at where we are at this season and see where we can improve. Dubbo, Orange City and Orange Emus appear to be the big three standouts in this season so it would be good if we can get a result here."
Going in with only a few changes means Johnston expects the team to start this match the way their second half against Parkes finished last week, resulting in a 41-7 win.
"We're going in with the same backline which is probably the first time this season that we've been able to do that," he said.
"Our second half last week was a lot better. We stuck to our structures and played well but the first half wasn't so good and I think that was reflected in the score line. We can't afford to have any low points like that against top sides like Dubbo because they will take the match away from you."
o BATHURST BULLDOGS: 1 Chris Plunkett, 2 Sean Fogarty, 3 Andrew Donaldson, 4 Peter Fitzsimmons, 5 Lachlan Bull, 6 Ollie Crowe, 7 Alistair Fryer, 8 Hayden Tidswell, 9 Dylan Sinclair, 10 Steve Locke, 11 Brodie Scott, 12 Alex Weal, 13 Jack Roberson, 14 Josh Lee, 15 Phil Tonkin
