Any Ken Laird Cup battle against the Bathurst Bulldogs is special, according to Dubbo Kangaroos skipper Shaun McHugh, but this weekend’s clash has taken on a whole new level of significance.
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Laird, a man who represented the Roos and Bulldogs and was a life member of both clubs, passed away last Sunday.
The two clubs meet at No. 1 Oval on Saturday, with the emotion around his death adding more to a match between the second and third-placed sides on the Blowes Clothing Cup ladder.
“We had one hand on the cup at half-time when we played them but by full-time we’d lost it,” McHugh said of Bulldogs’ 30-15 win in the corresponding match earlier this year.
“But it’s always something special and for a bloke like Ken Laird, who played for both clubs and meant a lot to both clubs, it’s even more important to win now but also to play in the spirit Ken played and supported the game.
“He was always there to present the cup, at Dubbo and Bathurst, and spoke of the pride he had watching both sides play.”
A win for the Roos on Saturday would not only help the Dubbo side reclaim to Cup, it would also see McHugh and his men leapfrog the Bulldogs into second spot on the ladder behind runaway leaders, Orange Emus.
It’s even more important to win now but also to play in the spirit Ken (Laird) played and supported the game.
- Shaun McHugh
However, a loss could see the Roos fall to fourth, with Forbes favoured to beat a Mudgee side which has battled for much of the season.
“Since playing them last time we’ve only lost one game, against Emus, and we played our best game this season against Forbes so hopefully we can repeat that effort because this is our biggest game of the year,” McHugh said.
“They (Bulldogs) are very similar to us with a lot of pride and depth in both clubs and it’s always a good contest.”
The Bulldogs have only lost twice this season and are coming off a gritty 27-8 win over a vastly improved Cowra Eagles side last weekend.
McHugh and the Roos are coming off a 52-26 win over CSU, a win made all the more impressive given the fact Sione Lolohea was sent off for a high shot inside 10 minutes.
Lolohea will miss Saturday’s match as he was handed a two-match suspension, while Eli Kinscher is also out.