The race to the Group 10 premier league minor title will come down to the final round of the regular season, with Orange Hawks and Bathurst Panthers remaining in a share for the competition lead following last weekend's penultimate games.
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Hawks still hold an edge on points difference after hammering Bathurst St Pat's 50-10 on Sunday afternoon but Panthers' 30-nil win over Cowra keeps that battle reasonably close as well, the two blues have a 22-point advantage.
That advantage keeps Hawks in the box seat and unless Panthers do an absolute number on Oberon it means a victory in the round should be enough for the Orange side to remain on top, win the minor title and bring the major semi-final to Wade Park.
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Granted that's easier said than done considering Hawks will face a desperate Orange CYMS in a crucial, final-round local derby, anything but a victory would spell the end of the green and golds' season.
Form does suggest Hawks should take down CYMS though, as they did in a narrow, six-point win in round nine.
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While CYMS' penultimate round clash with Mudgee was cancelled due to snow covering Wade Park they faced St Pat's the week before, scoring a clunky-but-valuable 32-22 win at home.
Hawks' victory over the Saints on Sunday was quite the opposite, the Orange outfit dominated the encounter from start to finish.
The two blues stormed out of the blocks and took a 32-4 lead into half-time, adding another 18 points to six in the second half as well.
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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.
