After a long-awaited win in the Caldwell Cup on Sunday with the Central West Blue Bulls, Plunkett now brings his focus back to Bathurst as the Bulldogs open their season against Orange Emus at Ashwood Park on Saturday at 3.15pm.

The opener against the Emus promises to be an grueling encounter, a traditional rivalry that pits a lot of Central West representative players and friends against one another.

It would take a huge effort to equal the start the Bulldogs had to last season when they walked over local rivals CSU 39-10.

But after such a strong pre-season for many senior players, the side won’t be short on confidence.

Bulldogs forward Plunkett is not expecting the side to fire to that extent for the 2014 opener, but is happy at the depth he sees in this side’s ranks.

“We’re eventually starting to put things together. At the start of the season I expect everyone will be a bit scrappy,” he said.

“We’ve also got some good young guys coming through. I’d say that this side will be very different to the one that’s going to be playing in, say, round four.”

Plunkett won’t make any declarations about the Orange outfit – who, despite finishing in last place last season, were only two wins off the fifth-placed Bulldogs.

“I haven’t seen much of the team or heard too much about them this year, so I can’t say a lot. I’m not going to go on last year’s form, because ours wasn’t that great. I think we just have to take each game as it comes,” he said.

The win over a strong Newcastle Hunter outfit in the Caldwell Cup final will be a welcome confidence boost for the five Bulldogs players who were part of that final. Plunkett will be hoping that rubs off on his club-mates.

“I’d love to keep the wins going. For me, it’s something that I’ve been trying to win now for about eight years. Matty [McRobert, Bulls coach] coached me through colts and then next year as my first grade coach ... so it was really nice to win something with him,” he said.

“A lot of these guys will take that confidence back to their clubs, especially the teams that have more than two or three [representative] players in there. It’s really going to help bolster their sides.”

The Bulldogs will look to at least equal last year’s effort of seven wins from their 16 matches.

The big question is whether the Bulldogs are ready to take another journey into the finals.

“I think we’ll be there again but, as you know, it’s a long season and things change. As long as we don’t have too many injuries and most of our big players are there, then we’ll make it,” Plunkett said.

“We’ve definitely got the manpower in the club this year, which is great. We’ve nearly got enough colts there at the moment to fill two first grade sides.”

Plunkett and all other winning Blue Bulls members will continue sporting their “victory” moustaches until their club side loses a match.

Plunkett, therefore, must be hoping his effort will become David Boon-esque.