ANGUS Durnan admits to feeling a few pangs of jealousy as he watched his former Wagga Tigers teammates lift the premiership cups of 2016 and 2019.
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The Tigers junior left the club at the end of 2015, playing two years with Avondale Heights in the Essendon and District League, before travelling to play the last two years at Avenel in the Kyabram League.
While he kicked 32 goals in 12 games last year, football's ultimate success has managed to sidestep him, and he hopes Saturday's AFL Riverina Championship grand final against Leeton-Whitton at Robertson Oval provides the moment he's been craving.
It will be the 27-year-old's first senior grand final and instead of watching his mates in yellow and black celebrate from afar, he's desperate to help them topple the minor premiers and experience it firsthand.
"I've skirted my way around them (premierships), I left and they won a couple of flags but it is what it is in footy," he said.
"Big time (it made me hungry watching their premierships), iwhat everyone plays for in the end ultimately is to get a bit of satisfaction by winning a comp.
"Obviously it's the social side of footy as well but I'd love to win one.
"This is my first grand final since under-17s. I've been getting some tips from a couple of other mates who have played in them."
The centre-half forward's return as well as fellow forward target John Buchanan, has given the Tigers an embarrassment of riches up forward, with Luke Gestier and Jesse Manton also pitching in with goals at crucial times this year.
"Those boys are definitely doing most of the work, I haven't been doing too much up there really and have been a bit slower this year," Durnan said.
"But it's pretty good in there's definitely more than one focal point. There's numerous guys we can go through and there's a number of avenues to goal.
"That's what's been one of our big factors in winning games this year, and it's been easier for me just to slip in without too much pressure."
Durnan feels the new-look Tigers are getting better each week as they look to defend last year's premiership on the back of a six-game winning streak.
Their only slip-up came against competition newcomers Osborne in round one.
"You can put it down to a lot of things but the first game there was a lot of new faces in our side and we hadn't played or trained a lot together," he said.
"Myself being at West Wyalong you try to get to training as much as possible, but you generally rely on game day experience.
"You have to get used to playing styles, working out how teammates play and how they move the ball."
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