Orange Tigers coach Dale Hunter’s found a way though.

Although he was frustrated after suffering a one-point loss to the undefeated, competition-leading Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels he was over the moon with, specifically, his Tigers’ effort without the ball at Country Club Oval on Saturday.

With a strong breeze helping them in the first and third quarters, the Tigers led for all but the last 10 seconds of the game.

After drawing level with about two minutes to go, the Rebels snapped a behind in the shadows of full-time to steal a 7.9.51 – 7.8.50 victory.

“We’ll never be pleased with that result but I’m very pleased with the effort and the way we defended,” Hunter said.

“The Rebels are the most attacking side in this competition so to keep them to 51 points is very pleasing, that’s half of their (per-game) average this season.

“We knew they’d come hard late in the game. They had the breeze in that fourth quarter, we’d chosen to run with it in the first, and unfortunately we just couldn’t keep them out at the end there.

“It was all locked up for about the last two minutes and we defended well for most of that, we had a chance late to get it down their end and kick something too, but the Rebels did well to keep us out.”

It’s a loss that gives Hunter, and his side, plenty of confidence.

The challenge for the Tigers was always going to be keeping pace with the two Bushrangers sides – the Rebels and Outlaws – and now the black and golds know they can do that.

“That’s what it will be like in the finals too, finals footy is rarely two teams kicking 100 points,” Hunter said.

“It’s usually the team that defends better that takes those finals games out and now we’re playing with a finals intensity, so yes, it gives us a lot of confidence.”

With that strong breeze at their back, the Tigers stormed out of the blocks and kicked the first four goals of the game, flying to a 24-point lead.

The hosts kicked another behind and managed to keep the Rebels goal-less in that opening quarter too, earning a 23-point buffer at the first break.

Bathurst kicked three goals to one in the second, slashing the deficit to 14 at the main break and proving just how helpful the wind was.

Kicking into it, the competition leaders outscored Orange by four points in the third term as well.

The Tigers led by 10 at the final break, and the Rebels’ fourth-quarter showing clinched the win.

Bathurst kicked three goals one to Orange’s one goal two in the final stanza, including that last-gasp behind, to seal the win.

All the competition’s sides have a general bye this week, for the AFL NSW/ACT representative weekend. The Tigers face Cowra after that.