Keegan Loughery, Travis Smith, Daniel Head, Dylan Smith and Rod Lawlor are expected to be back on deck while Luke Michael and player-coach Trent Hilton remain sidelined with injuries.

News of the returning quintet has been a welcome relief for the Bulldogs after a depleted line-up lost 34-18 to the Blues at the Narrabri venue last Sunday, which was something of a rehearsal for week one of finals.

Looking ahead to this Saturday, Hilton was confident of a better result with his team considerably closer to full strength after the lead-up to last weekend was disruptive, particularly with work commitments.

As the Blues overcame a hard fought opening 20 minutes to race to a 30-4 half-time lead, the Bulldogs rued a couple of poor defensive reads as there were a couple of soft tries which Hilton said should have been stopped.

Hilton nonetheless was impressed with the way the Bulldogs fought back in the second half. He also praised the vibe and club spirit, as reserve grade also had a weakened outfit due to the first grade squad.

Hilton rated Ben Gardner and the inexperienced Lance Martin among Gunnedah’s best last Sunday as the two front-rowers played around 60 minutes each.

Hilton was also full of praise for Danny Read who Hilton described as a trooper, while saying Read had been one of the team’s best performers all year.

The Blues will surely be confident of beating the Bulldogs again, particularly on Narrabri soil, although both teams undoubtedly remember the earlier clashes this season considering Gunnedah won at Narrabri before the Blues won at Gunnedah.

But when it comes to finals, past results always count for nothing.

The Blues will expect a tougher battle this Saturday than last Sunday in light of five players returning to bolster Gunnedah’s line-up.

The Bulldogs meanwhile will be wary of the likes of Jed Smith and Daniel Howe after they scored two tries each last Sunday while Robert Condron, Kialu Brown and Jake Rumsby scored one try apiece.

Brown will be a player the Bulldogs need to watch closely as the halfback has shown the ability to shine if Narrabri’s forwards gain momentum.

The Bulldogs will also be wary of Nathan Harvey and Sam Sadler after they were among Narrabri’s best last Sunday.

The winner of this Saturday’s battle at Collins Park goes on to contest the loser of the North Tamworth versus West Lions match, while the victor in that contest is the first team to reach the decider.