Orange Tigers Luke and Michael Rothnie to mark special occasion together

From kicking a ball around in the backyard as kids, to that competitive edge you get when you know you've got your sibling to back you up is truly something special.

Which is why for Orange Tigers Luke and Michael Rothnie, their game on July 15 will be about more than just trying to cause an upset.

Michael - who first donned the yellow and black in 2010 - will notch his 150^th game for the club when he steps out against the Bathurst Giants. For Luke, it will be his 100^th match after he began his AFL career as a junior in 2014.

"I've been keeping track of it for a while now and try to pick the right time to play it," Luke said.

"Playing it at home means that little bit more."

While Michael had the honour of being able to play alongside each of his brothers during his playing days, Luke never got that chance following their brother Chris' death in 2019.

"It was always one of my dreams to play with all of my brothers, but unfortunately, with the passing of Chris, I never got the chance," Michael said.

"So having Luke back in the squad means a lot and it's a big confidence booster for me as well."

Michael returned to the Tigers for the 2023 season after a few years playing in the Riverina League. This included winning the flag in 2022 with Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong.

He has tried to take on a leadership role within his boyhood club since making the return.

"My role now is to help those up-and-coming juniors with their footy in a mentoring role," he said.

His presence has certainly been felt in the tier one side, with the team sitting comfortably in third place on the ladder after a 14.8.92 - 6.8-44 win over the Dubbo Demons on July 8, the Tigers' third of the season.

With a tall task awaiting them against the top of the table Giants, Michael has no doubts they can pull out a win on their special day.

"I don't expect anything less than to get over these boys this week," he said.

"We can just expect to beat Dubbo every time we play them and just be fine with that. Getting over one of those Bathurst teams is our goal now. That's the expectation that we've set for ourselves so hopefully this week we can get over the Giants.

"To do it with Luke would be the cherry on top."

The tier one game will begin at 2.15pm at Waratahs Sports Ground.

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens.

Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.