The talking points from round 14 of the Western league competitions

We have just two rounds of the regular season to go and seven of our eight finalists in the senior competition are locked in, so it's time to get excited for the contests to come.

Here's the headlines as we wait for finals to arrive...

LAST week Dubbo CYMS head coach Shawn Townsend was glowing in his endorsement of one of his side's biggest opposition.

He dubbed Orange CYMS captain-coach Dan Mortimer the best player in the Peter McDonald Premiership, and then doubled down when he said "they're probably the best-coached team in the comp too".

It's fair praise.

Mortimer has been great this season, as he was last year for a CYMS side that ended the regular season on top of the ladder before COVID put an end to the finals before they'd even begun.

But the timing of Townsend's praise shouldn't be lost in the wash.

The Fishies own the best record in the competition and will end the regular season on top of the Group 11 pool.

They've been largely unchallenged since losing the first game of the season in Orange - against Hawks - and Townsend has them humming, while star outside back Jeremy Thurston is in irresistible touch.

You could easily say Townsend is the season's best coach and Thurston this year's best player - and no one would bat an eye-lid.

The reason for the Dubbo CYMS' master coach's deflection a fortnight out from finals?

Dubbo is heading down a path they're very used to.

The last decade of Group 11 footy is full of regular season campaigns dominated by Dubbo CYMS only for the Fishies to stumble in the post-season, often grand final day.

Townsend would be well aware of that.

Striving to ensure the Fishies are there when the whips are cracking in this inaugural PMP season, Townsend is absolutely looking to shift some of the attention from his red-hot side on to others before the big games in 2022 - and we love it.

It's a tactic veteran supercoach Wayne Bennett would be proud of.

There's two more weeks of regular season action before the finals kicks off in the PMP - the eight best teams from either Group going head-to-head with everything on the line - we simply can not wait.

Oh, and at this point in time, everyone is gunning to knock off Townsend's Dubbo CYMS, make no mistake about that.

While we're looking ahead at the finals, Saturday's Wade Park clash between Parkes and Orange CYMS was a juicy appetiser.

Chad Porter and Mortimer's battle as opposing number sevens was one to savour and if that's the sort of footy this competition is capable of bringing out of the players the month-long finals footy feast on the horizon will be nothing short of spectacular.

(Let's book in St Pat's Zac Merritt against Mudgee prop Clay Priest for a rugby league field in September now while we're at it too.)

It's been a tough year for the Lithgow Workies club, but season 2022 was never just about wins and losses in the top grade.

The club's under 18s are a very promising group of kids and are currently sitting in fourth on the Group 10 ladder - meaning they're on the cusp of finals footy should the young Workies boys maintain that record over the coming fortnight.

And to help them do just that the club brought in a bit of star power on Saturday.

Lithgow legend Barry Rushworth joined the Workies under 18s in the sheds prior to Saturday's clash with Mudgee. He presented the boys with their jerseys for the day.

Rushworth played over 100 games for Parramatta and represented NSW and Australia in the 1960s.

The boost worked too - Lithgow turned in an inspired outing to knock off the Dragons 30-0.

ST Pat's can breathe a sigh of relief - they've made finals.

After a wild, up-and-down regular season the Saints have been able to put a strong side on the paddock in recent rounds and it's shown in their results, taking them to third spot on the ladder.

But they certainly won't be taking Lithgow Workies lightly in the Saints' last game of the regular season against Lithgow Workies at Jack Arrow Sporting Complex.

Someone with an extra reason to be motivated is Matt Ranse, who gets the chance to go up against brother Ryan Jervis for a second time this year.

"My brother plays in that team as well so it's always a good clash against Workies," Ranse said.

"I believe they've got their captain-coach back as well. He wasn't there when we played them last time. I expect them to come out pretty fired up for this one.

"It'll be good for us to see where we're at."

Lithgow will only be playing for pride but they have a great chance to spoil the fun for the the Bathurst teams across the last two rounds.

They'll end their season against Panthers the following weekend.

After their fifth consecutive win on the weekend, Macquarie is sitting second in the Group 11 pool behind only Dubbo CYMS with only two rounds left.

Alex Ronayne's men have been brilliant over the last month of football with wins against Orange CYMS, Bathurst Panthers and Forbes Magpies included in their winning streak.

With just two weeks remaining it poses the question, is Macquarie the real deal?

Well Dubbo CYMS have already wrapped up the minor premiership on the Group 11 side of the ladder and if the competition were to end now, Macquarie would face Orange CYMS in week one of the finals, a team they have already beat in late June.

Now granted the match was in Dubbo but the Raiders' last two matches against Nyngan and local rivals CYMS could prove whether Ronayne's side can really push for a title the captain-coach has craved since joining the club.

Macquarie hasn't won a title since 2012 and almost a decade on, it looks like the Raiders could be peaking at the right time heading into the finals.

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