This weekend could be history in the making with local rugby fans struggling to remember a time when the Dubbo Rhinos were above the Dubbo Kangaroos on the ladder so early in the season.
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The last time the Rhinos held the Mark Melville Cup was back in 2006.
“We don’t want to be the coaches to lose it for the first time in 10 or so years,” Roos coach Dean Matthews said. “And I know (Rhinos coaches) Dave Stuart and Darren Taylor will want to be the first to win it since then so there’s plenty to pay for.”
The Cup clash returned for the first time since 2012 last season with the Rhinos back in the Blowes Clothing Cup.
But the Roos were dominant in both matches, winning 45-7 early in the year before backing it up with a 71-0 demolition in the reverse fixture.
The day will also be a special one for Roos co-coach Mark Stanford, who has coached both Dubbo sides. Stanford was at the helm of the Rhinos side which made the semi-finals in 2008.