Column | Group 10 clubs knocked off their Group 11 rivals in round one of Peter McDonald Premiership

It may only be round one, but just like talking about State of Origin selections, it's never too early to chat footy and discuss what unfolded in the Peter McDonald Premiership.

Round one had plenty of surprises as Orange CYMS late penalty secured them a last gasp win over Nyngan, Hawks' new-look side upset Group 11 powerhouse Dubbo CYMS and Bathurst St. Pat's put on 24 unanswered points to mount a massive comeback against Parkes.

Cowra also turned around a 10-0 deficit against Lithgow to start their season off on the right track and the Magpies faithful received their first glimpse at new signings, in particular exciting centre Manu Katoa who "fell into our lap" according to co-coach Jack Nobes.

So what did we think of the opening exchanges?

Well, if the competition ended today we'd agree it's delivered tenfold.

Last season, Hawks sat 4^th in Group 10 before COVID cancellation while Dubbo CYMS were equal first in Group 11.

To have such a thrilling contest this early on speaks volumes for not only Hawks' new-look side but also the competitiveness this new competition is bringing.

Overall, Group 10 had the measure on Group 11 as no sides from the latter scored victories.

But it's only a matter of time before they fire.

A few less errors and CYMS probably concede one less try.

Apart from a penalty kick not hitting the sideline and one or two sloppy play the balls, all the credit has to go to Hawks' defence.

The men in blue and grey hit hard and took their opportunities brilliantly with Nathan Potts working over-time at lock along with Rakai Tuheke on the edge.

For Dubbo CYMS, the usual suspects stood out. Jarryn Powyer was physical in the middle, Luke Jenkins hardly put a foot wrong in his return to local rugby league and Alister Beale was terrific in attack with a double.

At Nyngan, Orange CYMS coach Daniel Mortimer was expecting a tough encounter and his boys got one.

Normally a side that scores more tries wins but not on Saturday as Nyngan were left to rue their missed conversions in a five tries to four encounter.

Travelling to a game for three hours would be tough but to come home with a loss would be even tougher.

Thankfully, the boot of Pat Williams was the saving grace for CYMS with a penalty kicked in the 78^th minute to seal a two-point victory.

While Cowra sat in Group 10 reserve grade last season and Lithgow battled at the bottom of the ladder in first grade, both teams are looking promising.

Some astute movement in the player market has improved both clubs significantly and no one stood out more than hooker Isaac Thompson. A crafty operator who knows the right time to run, Thompson has gone from growing up at Narromine, playing lower leagues at Penrith, to Dubbo CYMS, back to Narromine and now plying his trade at the Wolves.

The former NSW Country representative will make Lithgow a team to watch this season and once the cohesion clicks between a side made up mainly of new signings then they could become very dangerous. For Magpies, resilience was the magic word.

From 10 points down some sides would struggle to stop the opposition's momentum but with a home crowd watching on, they gave fans their money's worth. The aforementioned Katoa was a standout while Warren Williams also crossed for a double.

With the Double Jack combination in the coaching hot seat, Magpies will be an exciting prospect and a trip to Sid Kallas Oval will be a tough trip for any side.

As the old adage goes, you have to win the middle before going wide and for multiple sides on the weekend, that was the key to their success. At a ground affectionately known as The Graveyard, Wellington were well and truly buried in their own territory for significant parts of the game as they took on Bathurst Panthers.

Panthers probably came away with one of the most impressive performances in round one, scoring a 32-12 away victory.

McCoy White, Jake Betts, Daniel Bain and Blake Lawson were some of the key players for Bathurst as the gun middle forwards made plenty of post contact metres. Just like their attack, Panthers' defence was outstanding as Wellington struggled to make it out of their own end in a brilliant sign for Betts' side early on.

As mentioned, Pride Park played host to some brutal body on body contact as Hawks came to the game with the intention of hitting hard and winning the ruck.

Their intensity in defence was enormous with CYMS coach Shawn Townsend complimentary of that pressure while lamenting his side's errors. Hawks no doubt won the battle of attrition in the middle and in fact three tries came from that part of the ground.

One seeing hooker Alex Prout barge over while Potts jumped on a grubber almost under the posts. CYMS barnstorming prop James Stanley also proved too much close to the line for his try.