Brett Douglas calls his continued reappearance in the Kangaroos first grade side over the years as a "bad habit" on his behalf.
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A member of the club - originally called Nuttsy's Bulldogs - since 1997 when the the Tamworth Australian Football League was founded, the Kangaroos president has found himself in the side many a time over the years.
In 2021, the veteran is content to sit on the sidelines and watch the juniors progress.
And in all fairness, Douglas' appearances for the club in 2020 were out of necessity.
The men's side struggled for numbers throughout the shortened season as the Kangaroos toiled away to finish fifth with two wins to their name.
"That's why we battled through last year - to give the young blokes footy," Douglas said.
"That's how you get them to develop and it's great to see those under 21s' confidence grow."
Among those players under 21 include Douglas' son Zeb who was among the Roos' best last weekend against Gunnedah.
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Zeb was possibly part of the reason his father's "bad habit" of playing flared back up in 2018.
The father and son shared a proud moment when they turned out in the Kangaroos starting 22 together during the 2018 season.
"I've enjoyed it - watching him progress," Douglas said of his son.
"It was a great opportunity. Not many [fathers] get a chance to play with their sons so it was good to suit up and have a run with him."
Douglas said if needed, he'll throw the boots on again but that doesn't look likely this weekend.
The men's first grade side are hopeful of taking a full 22 over to Inverell on Saturday to play the Saints.
It means Douglas can focus on coaching the women's side who come into the game off a first round loss to the reigning premiers.
The Roos blooded seven debutantes against Gunnedah in the season opener where they went down by 60 points.
Douglas was "very proud of the girls" and expects his side to only get better from here.
"This weekend we might have a couple more debutantes but their confidence is building," he said.
"We'll put it together slowly. Halfway through the season, I reckon we'll be playing some good footy."
Douglas went on to say he expected another hard game for the Kangaroos against Inverell at Varley Oval on Saturday.
"This week is a big test for everyone," he said.
"We're expecting a pretty hard battle. A tough battle at their home ground."
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Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
