For Sean Hayne, a source of inspiration for the grand final showdown with North Tamworth is obtained by journeying through the recesses of his mind, back 20 years to 1998.
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It was then that the Bulldogs beat Wee Waa 33-14.
The match was moved from Wee Waa to Narrabri, where it was played at the rugby ground, due to flooding.
“I think we had three floods in two months, or something, and the field [in Wee Waa] was unplayable,” Hayne said.
He played lock for Gunnedah in the match, the last time the club won the premiership.
“We weren’t really expected to win, either, that day,” he said, in reference to Gunnedah’s underdog status for their grand final clash against reigning four-time premiers North Tamworth at Jack Woolaston Oval on Sunday.
“It was the fifth one [grand final] I’d been in before I won one.”
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Gunnedah lost four consecutive grand finals between 1993-96, three to Werris Creek and one to Tamworth City.
There’s a nice feel about Hayne returning to Gunnedah, where he was so prominent as a player, after coaching North Tamworth’s under-18 side to premierships in 2015 and 2016.
And instrumental in his plan to end the Bulldogs’ title drought are his sons, skipper-hooker Callum and younger brother Marcus, who has been named at fullback for the injured Dylan Lake.
Hayne, a Bulldogs junior, does not believe there is added pressure on the side because of the long wait for another premiership.
All the pressure was on Norths, he said, adding: “We’re pretty happy to take the underdog tag.”
