Culcairn recruit Ben Gould says he won't be lacking any motivation when he faces his former Brock-Burrum teammates at Burrumbuttock on Saturday.
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Gould was a premiership player with the Saints in 2013 but missed out on the 2015 triumph after being overlooked.
The hard-working midfielder returned to Albury where he played reserves before being lured to the den this season.
Gould said he held no animosity towards his former premiership teammates.
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"I loved my time at Brock-Burrum and it was a pretty tight-knit group out there and is a big reason why they have been so successful recently," Gould said.
"I'm good mates with Darcy I'Anson, Josh McCudden and also got along well with Luke Brauer, Nico Sedgwick and the Boulton boys (Joe and Ron).
"I was really looking forward to playing against them in the first round and I can't wait for Saturday either.
"It just gives me a bit of extra motivation to play well.
"I don't hide from the fact that I was dropped from the side when I was there previously and I feel I have got a point to prove."
Gould has been a welcome addition to the Lions' midfield and provides another dimension alongside ball magnet Jye Shields, Dane Hallinan, Adam Eady and Pat Wall.
He and Albury teammate Caleb Simmonds both signed with the Lions over the summer.
Gould said Lions coach Josh Hillary was instrumental in him heading bush from Albury again this season.
"Obviously Josh Hillary is coaching and was at Albury previously," he said.
"I knew Culcairn was a young, hungry side and that really appealed to me.
"I'm loving the switch and really thrive on being handed the extra responsibility of playing predominantly in the mid-field.
"I feel we have got a really good mix of ball winners and have got the cattle to have a serious tilt at the flag.
"It's just up to us now to put it all together against the powerhouses like Osborne and Brock-Burrum."
Gould went head-to-head with Ron Boulton last time the two sides clashed and is expecting the same match-up again on the weekend.
Culcairn had its eight match winning streak snapped by Osborne the previous round and will be desperate to rebound strongly against the defending premier.
Gould missed last round and admitted it was hard to watch from the sidelines as the Tigers notched a convincing 48 point victory.
"It was disappointing not to be able to play against Osborne," he said.
"Osborne have beaten us twice now and I suppose you could say are our kryptonite.
"We had a couple out but so did they but were still able to produce some decent footy.
"Watching from the sidelines I thought we beat ourselves with our skill level and kept turning the footy over.
"The drive and hunger for the contest was there but we just lacked polish.
"Hopefully we learnt from our mistakes."
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