Gunnedah may be going through a rebuild at the moment but if the club's Auskick ranks are anything to go, numbers won't be a problem heading into the future.
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President Mark Barrow described the 2021 program as "probably the best Auskick we've ever had" which saw 30 kids consistently turn out for a kick.
Dogs fullback Ryan Cooper and his partner Chailee Watson have two "footy-mad" kids of their own, in Arthur and Penny, and ran the program throughout 2021.
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They'll be back on deck in 2022 where they hope they can continue to build Auskick numbers and create a flow-on effect into the junior and senior grades.
"It would be awesome to keep them involved," Cooper said of the Auskickers.
"Most of our kids are very young, the Auskick age group is five to 12, and a good split of those kids are between five and say eight or nine.
"They've got a few years of Auskick in them and then hopefully we'll be able to feed them through to the 14s and, hopefully, the 17s and through to the seniors eventually."
The club has had success in the under 14s since coming into the competition two years ago.
They made the grand final in 2020 and were minor premiers this year under the guidance of John Woolaston, Paul Naismith and Shannon Jefferies.
Woolaston also helped run the Gunnedah youth girls where a couple gala days throughout the year were run.
The Bulldogs are hoping to see a youth girls competition get off the ground in 2022 and they are also hoping field an under 17s boys team.
"We had a few guns in there and hopefully we can build on an under 17s team nexst year off the back of the last two years," Barrow said.
"I think ideally that's what every club wants - that connection from the 14s, or maybe even younger in the future, right through to your senior team.
"That would be great for the club."