Two points.
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That was the margin last time Orange Tigers and Bathurst Giants met in a preliminary final, with the Tigers scraping by the young side by the skin of their teeth to eventually go on to a grand final win.
The Giants had taken a massive leap since being held goalless earlier that season by the Tigers, and in 2019 have taken yet another leap when it comes to taking on the men in yellow and black.
Since that two-point thriller, you could make a compelling case the young side has the wood on the Tigers, with two solid wins in 2019 both in Bathurst and Orange, but Tigers co-captain Mick Evans said he didn't think his side were the Giants' bunnies by any stretch.
We earned the second chance and now we have the chance to make the most of it on our home ground.
- Tigers' co-captain Mick Evans
"They're a strong, consistent side, we've got a lot of respect for them, they've beaten us both times we've played them this year," Evans said.
"They've done so with good, solid footy."
The Tigers are coming off a heavy loss in the major semi-final last week when the Bathurst Bushrangers booked tickets to the grand final, but Evans echoed the sentiment coach Dale Hunter said after that fixture when he said the side was "better for the run".
"We had an interrupted back end to the season coming in and the Rebels were definitely the better side on the day, after that run and the training we'll be better for it," he said.
"We earned the second chance and now we have the chance to make the most of it on our home ground."
The Giants play a brand of run and carry football which suits the expanse of Waratahs, but Evans said that wasn't something the Tigers were concerned by.
"We're pretty confident on our home ground," he said.
"Hopefully we get a good crowd to support us so it's going to be about shutting down their wide runners and trying to control the ball through the middle and trying to hit out bigger targets down the line."
He said "nothing too specific" was planned for key playmakers like Nic Broes or Paul Jenkins, both of whom were among the best on ground last time the two sides clashed.
"If we we worry about one player then they've got pretty consistent players across the park, we'll aim to try and shut them down as a team rather than focusing on individual teams," he said.
While a few bodies were battered and bruised, Evans said the side was in decent nick despite missing a few midfielders, and would be bolstered by midfield bull Logan Crimp returning from a wrist injury.
"We're confident with the team going on the park we can get the job done," he said.
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