In the mind of influential Gunnedah midfielder Jake Spackman, all roads for the Bulldogs lead to three looming showdowns with Inverell – including the grand final.
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Second-placed Gunnedah thumped the Kangaroos by 80 points at No.1 Oval on Saturday – a match that Spackman said provided the Bulldogs with a similar physical examination to what they would expect from competition leaders Inverell when next they meet, despite the scoreline.
That clash occurs in the final regular-season round at Wolseley Oval on August 18, with Spackman predicting it will be a precursor to the major semi-final the following weekend.
Spackman believes that the Bulldogs have found another gear – Saturday’s win the reigning premiers’ best of the season.
“You’ve got to make the most of these game,” he said. “Like, the comp’s not all close. The top three teams [Inverell, Gunnedah and New England] are in one group, and you’ve got the remaining sides in another group.
“Inverell are the ones to beat. So we’re sort of focused on that. And the Kangaroos yesterday [Saturday] were physical and play a similar game [to Inverell] … The score didn’t reflect how physical the game was.”
Gunnedah won 20.15-135 to 8.7-55. Spackman and teammate Mark Ewington were the leading goal-scorers with seven and four apiece.
The Kangaroos were down 17 points at halftime, but Gunnedah booted 13 goals to three after the main break.
