For Gareth Williams and Alex Richardson-Bell, Dubbo Bulls FC has been a massive part of their lives.
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Now, the pair will coach their beloved club's Western Premier League (WPL) side in a historic season.
The long-time players know they have a massive challenge ahead of them but there is a special feeling around the club in 2024 with a milestone to be acknowledged.
Bulls will celebrate their successful 20-year history with a gala dinner to be held later in the season.
"In past years it has been great to have those senior members of the club come back," Richardson-Bell said of the celebration.
"They come back and sit in on our half-time talks every now and then as well as give us a pep talk. It will be nice to see them in the sheds a bit more.
"It gives us something to play for as well, it's always nice to have that motivating factor.
"Celebrating 20 years is massive and the fact we are in a spot where we are looking really successful comes off the back of those guys.
"It's nice for them to know that we are taking the club in the right direction, doing things the right way and respecting the legacy that they have left us."
Time to take charge
Good mates off the field, Richardson-Bell and Williams have been two of the club's most reliable performers for the last decade.
As departing coach Scott Fox steps aside, the challenge for the incoming duo is to get the Bulls back into the WPL finals after finishing sixth in 2023.
"The final word from Scott Fox before he handed it over to us was 'good luck'," Richardson-Bell joked.
"He (Fox) has been really awesome with Gareth and I.
"Being senior members of the team, without doing it (coaching) we have seen what it is like behind the scenes whether that's being captains or just senior players, you give your coach a hand when they need it.
"When you are living it tends to be quite busy and there are always things you need to do or players you need to reach out to to find if they are injured, it's a cool perspective."
Bulls missed finals for the first time last year since the WPL returned in 2020.
A largely new-look squad featured for the men in orange just 12 months ago, and Richardson-Bell said they will be looking to build on their tough lessons learned.
"We had a few boys who joined our side last year that are staying around this year," he said.
"I can't say it wasn't our year last year, we thought we had the team to go very deep in the competition.
"But we had a couple of unlucky games here and there, and all of a sudden you are chasing finals spots instead of trying to keep them.
"A lot of the boys got a bit of a taste of what the pace of the game is like when you aren't ready for it."
No football, no worries
Round one of the WPL was washed across the region last weekend, with Bulls set to play Parkes but it wasn't to be.
Instead, they will turn their attention to Macquarie United at home with the two Dubbo sides to battle at Hans Claven Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Having prepared for months to play on April 6, Richardson-Bell said they are ready to get their season under way against United.
"It's been something that we have been working towards throughout pre-season, anyone that plays sport realise how hard is to train for something and not actually play a game," he said.
"We were really keen to kick-off against Parkes at home, it would have been a tough game and we love playing in the rain so it was a bit disappointing when it got called off. But it was completely understandable.
"It was pretty easy to get the boys motivated for this weekend, it's going to be nice and sunny for a local derby."
Saturday's match will kick-off at 3pm.