LAST season the Bathurst Bulldogs fought for Blowes Clothing Cup grand final victory against Orange Emus but came up short.
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At the same time Joe Nash and his Parkes Boars squad couldn't bring down Narromine Gorillas in the New Holland Agriculture Cup.
Now Nash is getting set for the grand final rematch - except he's sporting the blue and gold.
Nash joined the Bulldogs this season and has brought added firepower to an already impressive back line, scoring three tries in as many matches.
He's hoping for a strong showing at Ashwood Park against an Emus side looking to hit back from a shock loss to the Cowra Eagles.
Nash knows the pain of losing a grand final and while he's not going up against the Gorillas he's still just as determined to help his new club succeed.
"I haven't experienced that rivalry with Emus before. When I played with Parkes it was about getting up for games like Cowra, Narromine and Forbes," he said.
"Being a grand final rematch for the boys from last year everyone will be really keen - especially for those guys who played in that game.
"We lost a grand final against Narromine last year so I know where they're coming from. It would be really good to get a win against them because they haven't been knocked off many times over the last few years."
You have to play hard to earn your place.
- Joe Nash
It's not just the experience of playing at a larger club but the added motivation to perform which Nash has seen as the biggest chance since playing for Bulldogs.
"There's a lot of people who turn up to training and you have to play hard to earn your place in the team. It's a bit different from what it's usually been like for me," he said.
"The experience has been really, really good. Everyone's really at the same level and there are no weak spots on the team because there's so many people fighting for a way into first grade."
Bulldogs go into the game with three straight bonus point wins to their name.
- BULLDOGS: 1. Aaron Booby, 2. Peter Fitzsimmons (c), 3. Joel Harper, 4. Justin Mobbs, 5. Dylan Carter, 6. Mark Donnelly, 7. Harry Peacock, 8. Alex Weal, 9. Adam Miles, 10. Scott Johnson, 11. Riley Hanrahan, 12. Will Oldham, 13. Brenton Gibson, 14. Hayden Leopold and 15. Joe Nash