So, when CYMS big man Jack Buchanan was asked to pin-point one area of strength on Bathurst Panthers line-up, he was stumped.

That's because the men in black have been a model of consistency throughout the last few Group 10 campaigns, and Buchanan is happy to consider them a complete outfit ahead of his side's round 11 showdown with them at Wade Park on Sunday.

Buchanan made the trip to CYMS after Cowra announced its withdrawal from the top division and through 10 weeks of play, has been a force in the middle of the field.

Every member of the green and golds side will need to be firing on all cylinders if it wants to knock off a Panthers outfit that's coming off a rare loss to Bathurst St Pat's.

"They're [Panthers] going to be pretty disappointed in themselves and they're going to come out here to play," Buchanan said.

"They're the benchmark, and they're number one for a reason."

It's Buchanan's first year playing alongside the bulk of this roster, and without being asked to pick a standout teammate, he mentioned one man.

"Joe Duffy's really led us this year... he's incredible," he said.

"He's really stepped up an he's definitely the leader of the pack. There's a bit of experience in there too with Cam [Jones] and I."

Buchanan went into more detail about what makes Duffy such a good teammate to be around.

"He's always talking and always willing to make those tough carries," he said.

"And he's somewhat of an OK bloke off the field."

And while CYMS won't win points for personality on Sunday, Buchanan's loved the way Daniel Mortimer's conducted himself as captain-coach in 2021.

"He's such a good bloke to have around the team and he obviously brings a wealth of experience," he said.

"When he talks, people listen, and that's what you want in a coach."

An interest element to Sunday's match is the return of Panthers' hooker Nick Loader as he's missed the opening chunk of the season with a broken foot.

Loader will give halfback Hewitt some familiarity in the middle of the field, not that fill-in Joey Bugg hasn't been serviceable during his absence.

"It was tough watching, so it's good to get back out there," Loader said.

"We haven't been playing great for the last month or so and we have no excuses really, we've had the team out there to do it but we're just not executing at the moment."

If the green and golds take out the defending premiers, they will claim outright top spot on the ladder as both sides sit on 16 points in the lead-up to round 11.

Kick-off is 3pm at Wade Park.

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