It was the answer Bulldogs fans would want to hear.
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After the side's 30-28 trial defeat of Singleton at Kitchener Park on Saturday, Bulldogs forward Matt Baker said his expectation for the side this year was for a long-awaited premiership. Their last title was in 1998.
"I think we've done well in the preseason to establish a lot of good ground work that everyone's on board with," said the former Sydney Roosters signing an veteran Newcastle first-grader. Baker, whose trademark hard hitups were a feature against Singleton, said there was "definitely" a good mood among the players.
"Not taking anything away from last year, we had a good year on and off the field, but we've taken a new direction this year, and I think it's definitely improved the club as a whole," he said.
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Integral to that "new direction" has been Mick Schmiedel's appointment as coach. The experienced mentor has taken over from John Hickey, whose one-year tenure ended when he stood down following the side's disappointing minor semi-final lose to Kootingal-Moonbi last season.
The Bulldogs looked sharp in the opening stages of Saturday's clash, racing to a 12-0 lead, before Singleton assumed control for a large chunk of the match. Gunnedah then finished strong.
Young Bulldogs hooker Liam Ireland had a breakout season in 2019, and delivered another eye-catching display against the Greyhounds - showing lethal acceleration from dummy half to score a series of tries.
His spark was reflected at times by his teammates against the Group 21 club, whose last title was in 2012. That was especially the case early in the match.
Midway through the first 30 minutes, Bulldogs centre Aaron Donnelly yelled that the Greyhounds were buggered. Baker said Gunnedah had had a strong preseason.
[We] really knuckled down the last two months, so it's been good.
- Matt Baker
"[We] really knuckled down the last two months, so it's been good," he said, adding: "There's a lot of young fellas coming through who aren't just there to make up numbers: they're actually contenders for the team."
