Welcome to the Winter Warm-up, a weekly opinion piece by sports writers Nick Guthrie and Tom Barber.
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The pair will look at what's happening within sport in and around Dubbo in 2023.
It's been a long time since the 2022 grand finals but winter sport is back and what a weekend we have to look forward to.
The four biggest Western-wide competitions will all begin on Saturday with the Western Premier League (WPL), Blowes Cup, New Holland Cup and Peter McDonald Premiership to commence.
Last year, it was the lower-grade Dubbo sides who carried the flag for their respective clubs, particularly in the New Holland and Blowes Cups.
But in 2023, which Dubbo-based side could bring home a title?
Well, let's break down each of their chances.
Peter McDonald Premiership
Dubbo CYMS fell just eight points short of premiership-glory last season, losing to Forbes in the first Peter McDonald Premiership grand final but expect the Fishies to be right up there once again in 2023.
Shawn Townsend has returned as a coach and the squad will look largely the same other than several young guns departing to Sydney.
The core group of Ben Marlin, Jarryn Powyer, Billy Sing and Alex Bonham will form a hard-working forward pack while fullback Jeremy Thurston is as good as any player in the competition and is coming off a strong campaign with the Western Rams.
Depth won't be an issue for the Fishies either, as the club boasts several young stars who are patiently waiting in reserve grade for their chance to show Townsend what they can do.
The club's 18s, league tag and reserve grade sides all excelled in 2022 also, and expect the same this year.
Across town, Macquarie Raiders will look a lot different to the side which was knocked out of the finals by Bathurst Panthers last August.
Jai, Josh and Blake Merritt have all departed as have Corey Cox and Clayton Couley. However, the Raiders have recruited quite well.
Alex Ronayne will be joined as captain-coach this season by Jack Kavanagh after the former's return to town and Billy Gilbert has moved to town with big wraps from the man they call 'Aka'.
A new-look halves combination of Harry Kempston and Filisone Pauta were excellent by all reports in their trial match against Orange Hawks and the pair will get their chance to shine on Sunday against Orange CYMS.
Like Dubbo CYMS, the Raiders will be in the premiership hunt in the reserve grade and league tag competitions.
Blowes Cup
It's been some time since the Dubbo Kangaroos lifted the Blowes Cup first grade trophy but I believe the group can be well in the mix this season.
Over the past two years, the Roos have been decimated by injuries, with the squad changing each week.
But when healthy, the Roos showed they can match it with anyone on their day, for example, in their semi-final last season, they pushed an Orange Emus side right to the end, a side that went on to play in the grand final.
Several Colts players have now graduated to senior rugby and will give coach Andrew Wise a few big selection calls over the course of 2023, a great problem to have.
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In the lower grades, the Roos made all three grade finals, coming away with two premierships in the Colts and third grade competitions.
The club's Ferguson Cup side looks poised to dominate again this season, with a few new signings.
Central West representative Lala Lautaimi has joined the Roolettes, a signing which has their biggest rivals labelling them "the team to beat".
Western Premier League
Last season wasn't the best for the Dubbo-based WPL sides, with only Dubbo Bulls making the finals.
Bulls made the semi-finals last year, after winning the competition in 2020 and should be strong once again this season with Scott Fox returning as coach and Gareth Williams stepping into the captaincy role.
Boasting a solid young core of Dom Ambler and Kane Settree, the Bulls have a nice mix of youth and experience which will no doubt be vital at times during the mammoth season.
Orana Spurs were disappointing by their own standards but 2023 is a new year.
They will have the same coach and basically, the same squad but the return of the towering Jake Grady will give Spurs another attacking threat, a big boost for one of the most entertaining sides to watch in the WPL.
Coach Ben Manson has admitted he wants his side to start fast and should Spurs do so, they could be hard to beat.
It's a bit of a new era for Macquarie United, after being grand finalists in 2020, the side has slowly moved down the ladder but there is a lot of optimism about the team this season.
A new coach and an influx of young players could bring United some success, with it all starting this weekend against Bathurst '75.
New Holland Cup
The Dubbo Rhinos have been building for the last couple of seasons but could 2023 be their year?
A loss to Parkes in the preliminary final last year still burns for the group, a side which is capable of beating anyone on their day, including themselves.
Poor discipline and crucial errors cost the group 12 months ago but it was something Sandry was keen to address over the summer.
In a five-team competition, the Rhinos should finish near the top and be right in the hunt for the title.
The club's second grade side will enter the season as the reigning premiers, a title they are more than capable of retaining.