The Dogs, who were the 2017 South Coast Monaro Division Two premiers, have struggled in 2019, and last weekend's loss compounded a first round defeat against Gungahlin for the former flagholders. 

That being said, the Dogs were by no means easybeats when they arrived in Braidwood, and the Redbacks themselves were looking to bounce back from a first round defeat at the hands of the Taralga Tigers. 

"The score against Taralga the previous week really wasn't indicitive of the way the game was played," Redbacks assistant coach Nick Kemp said.  

"We knew that there was a lot of improvement in us so we knew we were a good chance heading into the game." 

Things began well almost immediately on the weekend for Braidwood, when Harry Shoemark crossed for the first try of the match in the first minute. 

The Dogs responded with a penalty goal in the second minute, but Braidwood's Benjamin Howard crossed for a try in the 14^th , which he then converted, to blow out their lead. 

The Dogs managed to drag the deficit back to three points with two further penalty goals, but the difference proved to great in the end as the Redbacks held out. 

"They had most of the ball, but we defended them out. We didn't let them cross the line, so it was a very strong defensive effort," Kemp said. 

The only aspect he would improve is Braidwood's discipline, lapses in which allowed Crookwell to get back into the match. 

"Penalty count was pretty disappointing," he said. "We need to work on the number of penalties we're giving away."

This weekend, the Redbacks will look to continue their good form against the Jindabyne Bushpigs. 

The Bushpigs have been in good form so far this season, with a 3-37 win over Bungendore in the first round and a 12-28 win over Batemans Bay in the second.

This lines up a daunting encounter for the Redbacks, who will need to put forward an extremely good performance against arguably the form team of 2019 so far. 

The match between the Braidwood Redbacks and the Jindabyne Bushpigs will take place at the Braidwood Rec Grounds from 2.30pm on Saturday April 13.