The draws for the Goulburn Dirty Reds men's and women's teams have been released, with both sides looking at tough starts to the 2020 season.
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Up first on March 28, the Goulburn men's first and second grade sides will play the Royals at Poidevin Oval.
It is a tough ask to get the season underway, as the Royals made the finals last year and led the competition alongside the Dirty Reds for many of the early rounds. By the end of the season, Royals were in third, only three points in arrears of Goulburn in second position.
So it will be a trial by fire for the Dirty Reds as they try to find their feet early in the season. But considering the blazing start the team enjoyed in 2019 - with seven wins from their first seven matches - Goulburn will be confident in its ability to begin quickly.
After the clash against Royals, all three Goulburn senior teams will play an away fixture against Easts on April 4.
This match should provide the Dirty Reds a respite after round one, as Easts finished last on the ladder in 2019 with 13 losses and just the one win.
The round will also mark the beginning of the Dirty Reds women's season, and their first match in the Canberra Women's 15s division, after they dominated the Development 10s in 2019.
The last time these two sides played was during the 2019 pre-season fixtures when Easts ran out winners 15-12 in a tight match at Poidevin Oval.
But after a year in the Women's Development 10s division, which saw the side grow from a rough collection of talented players into a fluid, try-scoring behemoth, the Dirty Reds are a different proposition this time around and will pose a much sterner challenge.
The third round will feature the Goulburn men and RMC in Goulburn. The Dirty Reds will likely be confident, as RMC finished ninth on the ladder in 2019 and were defeated 41-0 the last time the teams played.
Meanwhile the women will play Tuggeranong, also in Goulburn. This round marks the first of ten occasions in 2020 when the men and women will play alongside each other, with six home fixtures together and four away.
The senior men's regular season will wrap up on July 18, with the quarter finals set to get underway on July 25. The women will play their last round on July 25, with the qualifying final to take place on August 1.
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