Gunnedah endured a 15-year premiership drought before it lifted when they won the 2017 premiership.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They did not have to wait long to experience that title-winning feeling again - beating the Nomads in the 2019 grand final at Wolseley Oval.
Gunnedah were beaten by Inverell in the 2018 finale.
Fast forward 12 months and the Bulldogs travelled to Inverell for the major semi-final and upset the Saints, the minor premiers.
Read also:
Both sides lost only one regular-season match.
Gunnedah got lucky when Doug Meagher arrived in town and came on board as coach last season.
Victorian-born Meagher has had playing and coaching stints in four states, including playing a trial match for a fledgling Sydney Swans and playing reserves for Essendon.
In his grand final match report, the Leader's Billy Juop wrote: "The first-placed Bulldogs traded blows with the Nomads throughout the day with the margin being as close as one point in the third term.
"However, the Bulldogs held their nerve to record a memorable 11-point win over the Nomads with the final score reading 14-11-90 to 11-13-79 victory.
"The win was set up by an opening-quarter barrage by the Bulldogs forward line, lead by veteran Mark Ewington, who kicked the opening two goals of the game on his way to a four-goal haul.
"Sam Proudfoot (two goals) followed up soon after, before Isaiah Graham kicked the Nomads' first. Two more goals for the Dogs saw them lead by 25 points at the first break."
He continued: "After the half-time break, both sides traded blows on the scoreboard with the Nomads looking to steal away the lead. However, some strong defence from James Mack and Brent Hartley helped the Bulldogs take a 13-point lead into the final term.
"The Nomads had the better of the opening minutes of the final term with Moore and Andrew Gray each kicking majors to help reduce the margin.
"Brad Jenkinson (two goals) and Adam Curgenven stood up in attack and defence to ensure the Bulldogs stayed in control and eventually avenge last season's grand final heartache."
Gunnedah were the feelgood story of the year, while Narrabri provided the biggest disappointment.
In May, the Eagles withdrew from the competition due to a lack of players - reducing the competition to six teams.
At the time, AFL North West spokesman Josh McKenzie described the development as "disappointing".
"It wasn't any secret they were struggling for numbers," he said. "And they had been ... fairly continually reassessing their position from the start of the season."
Elsewhere, the Swans continued improving and finished in fourth spot, while the Kangaroos and the Suns finished in fifth and sixth spot.
