South Sydney enforcer Jai Arrow has wiped the memory of last year's visit to Dubbo from his mind, but he's keen to make the most of this week's trip west.
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After a heavy 56-12 loss to a Matt Burton-inspired Penrith last season in the first of a two-year agreement with Dubbo Regional Council, the Rabbitohs will take on the Canberra Raiders at Apex Oval in round 11 of the NRL season on Sunday.
As much as the loss at Dubbo last season proved to be a turning point - the Rabbitohs went on to play in the grand final - it doesn't hold many fond memories for Arrow and his teammates.
"Can't remember. I don't remember that one," the Queensland Origin representative said with a smile.
"It was a day to forget last year but it's a new year and a new opportunity.
"The exciting thing is as a professional athlete now after being a young kid who looked up to my heroes is we get to go and see the community that gives us so much enjoyment.
"The most rewarding thing is going out there and seeing kids with smiles on faces and asking to sign jerseys and I have no doubt there will be boys giving out their boots or a sneaky jersey after the game."
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Last weekend's Magic Round meeting with the Warriors in Brisbane allowed the Rabbitohs to travel together and come closer as a group.
Being connected with teammates and enjoying the game was something stand-in captain Cody Walker spoke about after the thrilling 32-20 win over the Warriors and this week offers another chance for the team to get together.
That unity is even more important after Jason Demetriou-coached side became a little complacent in the second half last week and almost threw away an early 26-0 lead.
"I said to JD (Demetriou) before training, for myself, it didn't feel like we won," Arrow said of the Warriors match.
"We did address it and we've just got to get back to knowing what we can do with the footy and we showed that in the first half.
"We got a little complacent but we addressed it and we'll move forward and we're ready to go to Dubbo and give back to the community. Country towns give us so much and so much joy so I can't wait to put some smiles on faces there."
Arrow's fellow South Sydney forward Thomas Burgess is another looking forward to the Dubbo match.
Not only is it a chance to get out to a regional community, but it will be something of a reunion for the Englishman and Canberra's British players Elliott Whitehead and Ryan Sutton.
"We've always had really tough battles with them and we don't expect anything less this week," Burgess said of the Raiders.
"We're really looking forward to this week out in Dubbo together and I'm sure they've got some fans out there and we do, so I'm really looking forward to the week.
"I'm always looking forward to the Canberra game against some of my Pommy mates."
Tickets for Sunday's NRL match are still available through 123tix.
The gates open at 11am on Sunday and the NRL match kicks off at 2pm.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
