OLD Boys will be looking to begin their premiership defence in winning style when they take on West Tamworth in a grand final replay on Saturday.
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Last season's decider was washed out, setting up a long-awaited clash between the two clubs.
However, Old Boys will have a different feel to them in the 2019-2020 season, as four Gunnedah natives will help make up the core of the side.
Experienced campaigners Mitchell Swain and Troy Sands will be flanked by rising stars Adam McGuirk and Hayden Baker.
This season will mark Baker's first in the Tamworth-based competition, while McGuirk will be looking to continue where he left off last season.
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Swain said he was excited to see how the Gunnedah quartet would "bounce off each other" this season.
"I think it's really pleasing to see so many guys from outside Tamworth want to come to our club," Swain told the Leader.
"There's a real winning feeling around the club at the moment, which I think is really attractive to guys thinking of coming over.
"Experienced guys like Ben Middlebrook, Simon Norvil and Aaron Hazlewood are really vital in creating that feeling and hopefully we can keep that going throughout the season."
Last season's premiership win with Old Boys is not the only reason Swain will carry a "winning feeling" into the new summer of cricket.
The 27-year-old played a key role in the Manilla Tigers' Group 4 reserve-grade grand final victory last month.
"I've been really lucky in the past few years to be involved in a few premiership-winning sides," Swain said.
"Whether it's with the Gunnedah Bulldogs in 2017, Old Boys last season, or Manilla this year, I've been around really great players.
"It's been a lot of fun and I'm always hungry for more premiership success.
"Hopefully we can make it happen again this summer."
Swain said a new career opportunity may restrict his ability to play on a regular basis.
"I've just started working with McCulloch Agencies, which is really exciting," he said.
"It's a great opportunity for myself to be involved in something from the ground up, but one I'm really looking forward to.
"However, it may mean that I'm unable to play on a regular basis - but when I am available, I'll certainly be putting my hand up to play."
The sides will lock horns from 1pm Saturday at Tamworth No.1 Oval, which Swain said "looks a picture".
"Wests are a really good side, so I reckon it should make for a really competitive game of cricket."
Note: At the time of publication, there was the threat of rain, but no decision about the whether the match would go ahead or not had been made.
