Dubbo Roos defeated Orange City in opening round of 2022 Blowes Clothing Cup season

Played on Saturday at Dubbo's No.1 Oval, the hosts came away with a 18-13 victory, one five-eighth Josh Bass called a "very tough, gritty win".

"We defended for probably 90 per cent of the game so it was a great first hit out of the year," Bass said.

"It sets a platform for us going into the next few games."

Orange City coach John Nunn knows his side was well in the game and probably should've come away with the win.

"It could've been anybody's game really, I think just little mistakes and a few silly penalties cost us the game," he said.

The match started off well for the visitors when Aden Fraser crossed in the corner to get City out to an early 5-0 lead.

Only five minutes later, the Roos went the length of the field off a lineout inside their own 22 as Moa Kavaefiafi scored his first try of the season before Bass added the extra two points.

For the next 20 minutes, the hosts barely had possession and Orange continued to build pressure but the Roos' defence held strong.

City hit back just before half-time through Nathan Ahkee to give them a 10-7 lead heading into the break.

Bass got the Roos back level as he slotted a penalty goal early in the second half before the hosts again were on the defensive.

A string of penalties allowed Orange some good field position and they took advantage as Duncan Young nailed a penalty goal to put his side up 13-10.

Only a minute later, Ratu Roko swooped on a loose ball and scored in the corner for the Roos giving them back the lead with just 15 minutes remaining.

Orange City again marched up the field but as was the theme of the day, the Dubbo defence was brilliant and held the visitors out.

The Roos earned themselves a penalty with 30 seconds left on the clock and Bass took the opportunity to nail the penalty shot from 40 metres out handing Dubbo an 18-13 victory.

After the match, Bass credited both Raku and Kavaefiafi for their performances.

"We've got a few boys out wide with some pace, which is handy," he said.

The Dubbo flyhalf and the rest of the club had worked hard over the off-season to get fit, something which Bass said makes the win sweeter.

"We've been in the gym for about six months with our trainer so we've been doing some hard work over a couple of months," he said.

"It's good to get that first result for the year."

On the other side, Nunn said he thought his side put in a solid round one performance on the road.

"You need to start to work out where you are at," he said.

"I'm pretty happy with the boys' effort and our gauge of where we are at. It's always tough in Dubbo so no one knows what to expect until you get through it.

"I'm pretty happy even though we lost, there is lots there to work with."