Orange Hawks are flying high in a share for the Group 10 premier league lead with Bathurst Panthers and they've hit some serious form in winning their last six consecutive encounters but, even so, there's still one major hurdle they're yet to jump.
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It comes in the form of the Mudgee Dragons, who land at Wade Park on Sunday afternoon as the only side Hawks are yet to taste success against in 2019.
The two sides met in round three at Mudgee's Glen Willow Sporting Complex and the Dragons made light work of Hawks that afternoon and six games on that 32-4 thrashing remains the only blemish on the two blues' 2019 record.
We just weren't great and they played pretty good footy ... but we're a very different side now.
- Hawks prop Ethan McKellar, on where his side is now compared to a round three loss to Mudgee
Hawks player-coach Willie Heta put that down to an off day though, something barnstorming prop Ethan McKellar reiterated in the lead-up to Sunday's rematch.
He has a touch more motivation than most too, McKellar will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Sunday and there wouldn't be many better presents than a win.
"That's it, that'd be good," McKellar laughed.
"I think over there in Mudgee we did just have an off day and we came off the bye before that one too, but being early in the season it didn't really help us whereas it came at the right time last week.
"We just weren't great and they played pretty good footy, when you're playing good sides that happens but we're a very different side now we've really come together as a group since then, our combinations have developed and we're playing pretty consistent footy."
Without the likes of monsters Saul Houma, Sia Nemani and Tatafu Na'anuimotu McKellar and his fellow middles have been forced to "take on bigger minutes" and "put our hands up", and he said they've relished that responsibility as well.
"It's been good. There's no doubt we miss those guys because they are so big and provide so much impact but all of us in the pack have had to lift and take those tough carries where no one wants to, and the boys have been doing that really well," McKellar said, before predicting that middle third is exactly where Sunday's round 12 will be won or lost.
"We weren't great through the middle last time we played Mudgee but I think we should be right there on Sunday, I think that's where we'll win it if we all stick together and get the job done. I don't think they'll punch through there."
With the Dragons sitting just two points adrift of Hawks and Panthers a win on Sunday would obviously extend the margin, but that's not a focus for Hawks.
"Winning obviously is, but we're not too worried about sitting on top or anything like that, that's not the priority," he said.
"We just ant to be playing good, consistent footy week-to-week, that's the biggest thing for us at the moment going into the back end of the season."
Hawks host Mudgee at Wade Park on Sunday from 2.30pm.
- ORANGE HAWKS: 1 Duncan Young, 2 Eman Rodriguez, 3 Corey Brown, 4 Jack Aumuller, 5 Jordan Baker, 6 Willie Heta, 7 Matt Boss, 8 Ethan McKellar, 9 Alex Prout, 10 Sam Coyte, 11 Rakai Tuheke, 12 Talon Hodge, 13 Nathan Potts; Bench: 14 Brett Morgan, 15 Jared Brodrick, 16 Lawrence Fogg, 17 Matt Foliaki.
- MUDGEE DRAGONS: 1 Tom Lawson, 2 Jared Robinson, 3 Corin Smith, 4 Lee Hicks, 5 Nathan Orr, 6 Jack Littlejohn, 7 Jack Beasley, 8 Chanse Burgess, 9 Ben Thompson, 10 Tom Shearman, 11 Todd Munn, 12 Aiden Woods, 13 Casey Burgess; Bench: 14 Jayden Brown, 15 Sebastian Flack.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
