Following tough losses in the opening two rounds of the 2023 Peter McDonald Premiership, the Bathurst Panthers are on the board.
Playing at Carrington Park in Round Three, Panthers bounced back in the Bathurst derby, defeating St Pat’s 28-20 to claim the annual ANZAC Trophy.
“You don’t want to start the season 2-0, let alone 3-0, so for us, it was an important game to win,” Panthers coach Jake Betts said.
“The boys have been working hard at training, and the result is a good confidence booster.”
The Panthers had conceded 94 points in the opening rounds, and Betts acknowledged that his young playing group had to dig deep to find the resolve needed to knock over St Pat’s.
“It was pretty tough,” Betts said.
“We came up against two pretty quality sides in the first two rounds in Dubbo CYMS and Parkes Spacemen, but we were also well below average in our performance.
“Our confidence was down a bit, but it was good to hit back and get a good win over our rivals.”
When quizzed on the form turnaround, Betts said it all came back to doing the basics right.
“It was more so just our effort areas,” Betts said.
“The boys have been busting their backsides, but nothing was going right.
“We weren't holding the ball, but we spoke about keeping our fair share of possession, staying in the dogfight, and we did that, and that put us in a good position to win.”
The scores chopped and changed in an entertaining affair that preceded Saturday’s NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers at Carrington Park.
In typical derby fashion, the result went down to the wire.
“I’ve played in a few (derby matches), and we've been bottom of the table, and St Pat’s have been up top, and vice versa, but it's always a tight game and only a try or so in it,” Betts said.
The Panthers now have an opportunity to kick on and win some games, and following this weekend’s general bye, Bathurst hosts the winless Orange CYMS in Round Four.
“We are not under the illusion that we don't need to improve,” Betts said.
“There is much improvement left in us, and there are many quality sides in Groups 10 and 11, and we need to be on our toes each week.
“This week, we have off, so we'll work hard at training and prepare for the Orange CYMS the week after.”
Betts was picked in the Group 10 representative side. He will now turn his attention to representative Rugby League, with the Peter McDonald Premiership taking a break this weekend, as Group 10 and Group 11 battle at Blayney’s King George Oval.
The teams for first grade, League Tag and Under 18s were announced on Sunday night, and reputations will be on the line when the best of both Groups go head-to-head in a big day of Western Rugby League.
PMP Round Three results: Mudgee Dragons def Orange CYMS 34-18, Bathurst Panthers def Bathurst St Pat's 28-20, Dubbo CYMS def Wellington Cowboys 32-14, Nyngan Tigers def Parkes Pacemen 32-28, Forbes Magpies drew Dubbo Macquarie Raiders 14-all, Orange Hawks def Lithgow Wolves 14-0.
PMP Round Four draw (May 13): Lithgow Wolves v Bathurst St Pat's at Tony Luchetti Sportsground; May 14: Dubbo Macquarie Raiders v Nyngan Tigers at Apex Oval, Bathurst Panthers v Orange CYMS at Carrington Park, Parkes Spacemen v Dubbo CYMS at Pioneer Oval, Orange Hawks v Mudgee Dragons at Wade Park, Wellington Cowboys v Forbes Magpies at Wellington.
