The sun had an unexpected bite to it as the Cowboys welcomed the Bulldogs to Dungowan.
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Among the healthy crowd at Dungowan Recreation Reserve were Cecelia and Trevor Johnson, who were there to cheer on their son Malaki - the Cowboys' No. 5.
"He usually plays reserve grade, but he went up [to first grade] this week," Trevor said, adding that he and Cecelia "love" watching him play.
They also love Malaki's daughter Kaleya, whom they nursed during the game - which the Cowboys won 42-16 after posting four tries to none in the second half.
Malaki scored the first of those tries when he crossed in the 45th minute.
It was the Cowboys' first victory of the season, in their third outing, while Gunnedah's 12-match losing streak dates back to round seven last year.
"We're starting to gel a bit more - ready for a good season," young Cowboys winger Jack Edser said, adding: "We've got a lot of potential."
In the earlier matches, Dungwoan prevailed 10-0 and 66-6 in league tag and reserve grade respectively.