Macquarie kept Nyngan at bay with a 28-18 victory, Mudgee just got the chocolates against Bathurst St Pat's winning 20-14, while Willie Wright kept a cool, calm head to seal Bathurst Panthers' 19-12 win over Orange Hawks.

At Wellington, the Cowboys showed they're on the improve with Dubbo CYMS only claiming a 24-14 victory.

The fun continues this weekend and it's near impossible to pick a match of the round with so many quality fixtures ahead.

The cross-over round has returned - and it's just what we wanted with the new competition.

After weeks and weeks of Group 10 vs Group 10 and Group 11 vs Group 11, we'll finally get to watch clubs from both divisions play against each other, which hasn't been seen since round two.

The blades of grass at Apex Oval have been seriously blessed for this coming weekend and the gate-keepers will be busy as Macquarie Raiders play Orange CYMS on Saturday and Dubbo CYMS host Mudgee Dragons on the Sunday.

Oh boy, what a ripper weekend.

The Raiders will come into the match with shaky form at best with its best performance played in round five, defeating Wellington 42-10.

From there they've had the bye, a 36-22 loss to Parkes and 28-10 defeat against Dubbo CYMS. They returned to winning ways on the weekend against Nyngan despite trailing 12-10 at half-time.

Orange CYMS produced one of its best performances of the year on Saturday with a 56-10 dismantling of Lithgow and it's no coincidence that captain-coach Daniel Mortimer was back at halfback.

A late re-shuffle meant Nick Murphy made his first grade debut and seriously impressed with two tries.

CYMS should get the job done but with a home ground advantage, the Raiders shouldn't be underestimated.

Moving onto Sunday, in what is definitely the match of the round.

It's no secret that for years before the Peter McDonald Premiership, Mudgee were pushing to be part of Group 11.

And Dubbo CYMS have previously had a crack at Group 10 as it endeavoured to test itself against sides from similar populations.

Now, both clubs sit first in their pools, making for a juicy match-up that should fill the stands and maybe the hill of Apex.

Imagine that - an Apex Oval crowd similar to the South Sydney vs Canberra match - it's exactly what this new competition promised and it'd be incredible to see it delivered.

Western Rams Rugby League administrators must be licking their lips.

As for the outcome - Mudgee are looking too strong.

Clay Priest has stamped his credentials as one of the best props in the Peter McDonald Premiership and captain-coach Jack Littlejohn no doubt had this game circled as soon as the draw was finalised for the 14,000^th time.

Centre Corin Smith's best game came against Bathurst Panthers in round three with a hat-trick, and he's a man that rises to the occasion of a big match.

Where CYMS could win it though is on the edge, with second-rower Billy Sing probably close to full match fitness now he'll need to produce his best game of the year to get his side over the line.

Saturday's clash between competition leaders Mudgee and St Pat's, a team littered with serious quality but one yet to really fire a shot, was a real beauty, mainly for two reasons - Clay Priest and Zac Merritt.

Ex-NRL forward Priest and Group 11 premiership-winner Merritt went for each other while they were out on the field at the same time. It made for an enthralling contest.

Priest went for Merritt every time the latter took a hit-up, and visa-versa; the pair came together after one collision and it threatened to boil over. The big dogs were barking.

Priest was super impressive after coming off the bench mid-way through the first half with the Dragons down on the scoreboard. Talk at Glen Willow on Saturday had Priest as a late withdrawal due to the flu. But his arrival on the field proved a turning point for the Mudgee boys. He's a genuine leader.

While, after being out for weeks with injury, Merritt's injection into the St Pat's line-up was a real booster for the blue and whites. We expect both teams to make the Peter McDonald Premiership top eight - here's hoping they clash again when the whips are cracking, too.

They're dropping crucial points but Orange Hawks are impressing with its fitness.

Speaking after his team's 19-12 win over Hawks, Bathurst Panthers captain-coach Jake Betts was strong in his admission that Hawks are a 'very fit' side.

Speak to Hawks players and you hear how organised and meticulous coach Shane Rodney is and the fitness of the two-time NRL premiership winner was a noticeable trait throughout his career.

While errors and penalties are proving costly for the two blues, they're never out of the fight and as they battle for a top eight spot in the Peter McDonald Premiership it may well be fitness that gets them over the line.

Hawks' match with St Pat's this weekend is the only game that isn't a cross-over between Groups and it'll have a massive say on the ladder with St Pat's one point behind them.

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