Any Crookwell Dogs fan who are feeling a faint sense of deja vu are not alone.
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Many recall the Dogs' last premiership-winning season, in 2019. What fewer may remember is how that season started for Crookwell, with three consecutive losses. Those defeats were then followed by nine wins from Crookwell's next ten games.
In an eerily similar run of events, the Dogs also lost their first three games this year, but have won their last two.
The most recent of these victories came on Saturday, in a thunderous 73-0 effort against the B.C. Sharks in Bermagui.
"The Sharks were a solid enough outfit, and credit to them, it's their first year and they're struggling for numbers," Crookwell coach Bruce Nixon said.
"Their lack of numbers is probably their downfall. Some of the things we're working on, it was good to see some of it pay off on Saturday."
While the Sharks did not pose much of a threat to the ever-improving Dogs side, Nixon said the most striking aspect of the day was the setting in which the match took place.
"The hospitality was fantastic, they went out of their way to look after us," he said.
"I've played at a lot of grounds in my life, but that might have been the most beautiful one I've ever been to. The boys had a great time."
Though Crookwell is now on a two-match win streak, Nixon said both he and the players were not overly focused on winning or losing.
This, he said, was a lesson learned from the team's campaign in 2019, in which alarm set in after the Dogs' early trifecta of losses.
"At that point in 2019, there was panic," Nixon said.
"I'm a coach that works on improvement, it's not about winning or losing. If you lose but you're better than you were last week, that's what I want.
"Win or lose, those things look after themselves. If you do the hard work and the structures are good, the results will come with it."
Those structures will meet a stern test this weekend, when Crookwell take on division newcomers Hall.
Known for their physical, in-your-face playing style, Nixon expects Hall to present a different challenge to the ones the Dogs normally face in the South Coast Monaro division.
"We'll get that physicality and attitude from them," he said.
"They'll bring a different skill set coming from a higher grade. We struggled with Cooma because they play a different game, and I think Hall will be the same."
The Crookwell Dogs will take on Hall from 2.30pm at the Crookwell Memorial Oval this Saturday, May 29.
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