Zac Taylor determined to run out on Ashwood Park for Blowes Cup grand final day

The only problem was that he wasn't able to play in that game due to suspension.

Now, as the Bulldogs find themselves on the cusp of securing another potential home decider, the flanker would love nothing more than to run out onto the field to the cheers of an Ashwood Park crowd on the last day .

To make that happen Taylor and the Bulldogs will need to overcome arch rivals Orange Emus in this Saturday's major semi-final clash - a repeat of the 2022 fixture at this stage.

Bulldogs will hope the result will be the same as that day, but one thing Taylor hopes will be different is that this time he gets the victory while having a clean record next to his name.

Taylor landed a four-game suspension following a ruck infringement in last year's major semi-final.

Missing out on grand final action drove 'Crackers' to come out firing upon his return earlier this season.

He's been a welcome constant in a forward pack that's undergone plenty of upheaval throughout the back end of this year's campaign due to injuries.

Taylor's seen his share of ups and downs since becoming a regular first grade presence in 2020 and those challenging experiences have had a big role in shaping him as a player.

"We did it tough that first year of first grade that I had, and that was a bit of a reality check, but being able to build and watch this team progress with every year has been great," he said.

"This year's felt really special. We've got the numbers, there's plenty of passion and a lot of club culture.

"The group we have this year is uniquely close and we're always setting goals for each other every week and I feel the connection between the boys this year has helped us take things to the next level," he said.

"We've had a few setbacks and a few injuries that hit us a few weeks ago, but we've also had some boys come back from injuries that they had at the start of the year.

"We're happy with the side we've got coming into this weekend and really excited for it."

Emus are the only team to beat the Bulldogs this year.

Bulldogs will need to be at their best to make sure that doesn't happen this weekend, and if they bring a similar level of football to what they showed in last round's win away against the Cowra Eagles that will help them a great deal.

Taylor said that recent results have been encouraging when you consider the changes the club have needed to make to their lineup.

"Sometimes games come down to the wire and we were unfortunately to lose that one to Emus. That's why we love the game and why we play it, for the tight games like that," he said.

"We're looking to get one back on them. We're up for it and we're ready.

"Our depth has been tested this year but we have a 'next man up' mentality and everyone who's stepped up into a new role has done an exceptional done, and the results speak for themselves."

Meanwhile, Dubbo's fairy tale finish to the Blowes Cup regular season has the Roos primed to ambush Cowra on Sunday.

A win against Forbes and a result going their way paved the way for the Roos to make the minor semi-final, a strong finish to their season after a string of tough matches.

At one point this season, it seemed the Dubbo-based side were in the box seat to possibly finish second but losing five of their last seven matches before this weekend means the side has their backs against the wall.

But the Roos showed signs of their early season form last weekend.

The return of flyhalf Nate Ambler at Tim Beach's move back to outside centre pay dividends for Paul Elliott's men.

Kick-off in both semi-finals is at 3:15pm.

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