THE last time the Boggabri Kangaroos played Gunnedah, the Roos went down 26-22 to the Bulldogs at Kitchener Park.
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It was mid-June and the Roos could have quite easily won, leading 22-12 in the second half.
They were then hit with a sin-binning.
The Bulldogs profited from the extra man and roared home to win.
Almost two months later and both sides sit on a precipice: Gunnedah is fighting for a semi-final spot and Boggabri is fighting to shed the wooden spoon it easily won last year.
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The loss to the Bulldogs was one of four close losses the Roos have suffered this season.
"It could have been so different if we'd have won those four games," said Roos coach Shane Rampling. "We've got to learn from those losses though and finish off the season strongly."
Those narrow defeats include Dungowan beating them 36-34 at Boggabri last weekend.
The home support has been nothing short of outstanding for the small town.
"We had a big crowd there last week willing us onto win, we just couldn't do it," Rampling said. "They are all passionate, love their footie. They know we will keep on trying but I just want to get a win for them."
If the Roos can win on Saturday, they might leapfrog Dungowan off the bottom of the table, with the Cowboys to play second-placed Werris Creek at Dungowan on Saturday.
Gunnedah will arrive in Boggabri on Saturday with a huge 52-30 win over Narrabri last Sunday that propelled the Bulldogs back into the top four. They will also have prop Lincon Smith and back-rower Blake McIlveen back after the pair missed the Narrabri win through suspension.
Smith has been one of the Bulldogs' best all season, the young giant producing big minutes and hits regularly.
He will need to reproduce that form against a big, strong pack led by the likes of the Millar brothers, Nick and Nathan, as well as representative hooker Matt Gillham and stalwart prop Ben Haire.
Haire was the Roos' players player last weekend and will be a consistent and persistent opponent for the Bulldogs, on what is not only Old Boys Day but Boyde Campbell Cup day.
Playing well in front of some great old club heroes, and vying for a Cup named after a former teammate, will be so much more enticing for the Roos.
Dropping a spike in Gunnedah's semi-final hopes will also be a marvellous act of revenge for that June 15 loss at Kitchener.
Gunnedah coach John Hickey has welcome back Smith and McIlveen but he has lost hooker Regan Walsh and centre Adam Mooney.
Walsh was one of the Bulldogs' best last Sunday but is out indefinitely due to family reasons while Mooney tore his calf last Sunday.
Walsh appeared to be the answer to the Bulldogs' hooker woes, after Kurt Hartmann tore a bicep and is unlikely to play again this season.
BOGGABRI v GUNNEDAH
Jubilee Oval, Boggabri, first grade kickoff 2.30pm - referee Luke Sheather.
BOGGABRI: (Unofficial) 1 Jack Gillham, 2 Jesse McCarthy, 3 Brock Sankey, 4 Matthew Avendano, 5 Cameron Lewington, 6 Dylan O'Brien, 7 Jayde Campbell, 8 Ben Haire, 9 Matt Gillham, 10 Nathan Millar, 11 Bailey Lennox, 12 Mitch Campbell, 13 Nick Millar, 14 Jarrod Adams, 15 Isaac Harris, 16 Jay Urquhart, 17 Matt Durrant. Coach: Shane Rampling.
GUNNEDAH: 1 Dylan Lake, 2 Lachlan King, 3 Aaron Donnelly, 4 Deacon Sankey, 5 Nic Altman, 6 Reece Jaeger, 7 Matt Brady (capt), 8 Lincoln Smith, 9 Liam Ireland, 10 Rory Harding, 11 Jason Smith, 12 Dan Russell, 13 Matt Baker, 14 Kye Conlan, 15 Ben Gardiner, 16 Blake McIlveen, 17 Jacko Brookman. Coach: John Hickey.
