RUGBY LEAGUE
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Unassuming Bulldogs prop Aiden Tolman likes to keep things low key but he admits that's near impossible in a grand final week.
It's nothing new for the Bulldogs with 12 surviving members of the club's 2012 grand final loss set to line up on Sunday. But Tolman, who tasted grand final victory with Melbourne in 2009, is one of just three players who knows how it feels to win one.
Tony Williams won a ring with Manly in 2011 while Reni Maitua — who has been named on an extended bench — is a veteran of the Bulldogs last premiership in 2004.
Tolman said the low-key build up to the 2009 decider in the relative anonymity of Melbourne was in stark contrast to his experience with the Bulldogs in 2012.
"The build up's different. When I was in Melbourne you're away from it," Tolman said.
"In 2012, it's completely different because you're up here [in Sydney] and we're a big club with lots of supporters so it's a different feeling.
"To get to play in another grand final ... I'm very happy with it and I'm pretty excited about the opportunity that's come up."
Asked what he took out of the contrasting experiences Tolman said: "You take different things out of it. I know it's a lot better when you win it that's for sure.
"You know these opportunities don't come around very often and I've been pretty fortunate to play in three now and I just want to go out there and win on Sunday.
"You just want to put it all out there and don't want to come off the field thinking 'we should have done this, we could have done that' because there's no second chances.
"It's winner takes all, we need to go out there and try to play some good footy to get that win."
Tolman faces the unenviable task of halting a Souths pack that steam-rolled the Roosters last week without regular hooker and captain Michael Ennis. Utility Moses Mbye appears to have the inside running to replace Ennis with Maitua also a candidate.
Tolman conceded the loss of Ennis is a huge blow but said he had faith in whoever deputises for the skipper on Sunday.
"It's a massive loss obviously," Tolman said.
"Everything starts from him around dummy-half there so if he's not to play then it's going to be a huge loss to us.
"But in saying that whoever comes into the team has got the opportunity to play in a grand final so I'm sure they'll take it with both hands."