Most people will tell you chasing a fairytale finish in sport is futile.
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They’ll say it’s foolhardy, that they rarely eventuate but Barraba’s Tim Coombes is on the cusp of pulling off his own dream finish when the Bulldogs take on Bundarra in this weekend’s Group 4 Second Division grand final.
Coombes returned to Barraba for a swansong season with the Bulldogs in the Group 4 Second Division this year after captain-coaching Oxley Diggers in 2016.
Despite some of the Bulldogs taking the bustling front rower’s retirement plans with a grain of salt – some say Coombes he’s said he’d retire in the past before playing on – he’s adamant retirement has always been the plan after this season.
“It was always going to be [my last season],” Coombes said.
“I just came back because I wanted to finish back home.
“I’ve got a few friends here, like the coach [Jesse Phillips], he’s rallying the boys.”
When Coombes returned to the club, it took a little time for the journeyman – he’s played for Scone, North Tamworth and Wauchope along with the Bulldogs and Diggers – to adjust to his new role.
He captain-coached the team for a number of years, including in 2011 and 2013 when the Dogs claimed premierships, but came back just to play.
“It’s a little different. I guess that’s the hard bit, trying to sit back when I’m used to probably having a bit more hands on role,” Coombes said.
“But that’s why they got him [Phillips] and why I left in the first place. It was the same voice telling them what to do and I thought they needed to try something different.”
It certainly worked with Phillips taking the Bulldogs to their first grand final since 2013 and Coombes enjoying his football as much as ever.
“Definitely, I’m not worrying about other little things as much. I’m just worrying about doing my job on the field,” Coombes said.
Coombes said there was a good feeling around the camp – one that felt very similar to 2013 – leading into this weekend’s big dance.
“Yeah, I think so. It’s a very similar sort of squad [to 2013],” Coombes said.
“Half of them were probably there in 2013. There’s a lot of experience mixed in with a lot of young fellas who have come over from rugby and different things.”