DESPITE being beaten 34-16 by the Blayney Bears at Wade Park on Sunday, injured Orange Hawks captain-coach Jason Gangaram was thrilled with his troops’ drastically improved performance.

Although the eventual full-time score-line suggests the Bears were rarely troubled it was quite the opposite, for a large hunk of the match-up Hawks not only competed, they bettered their substantially bigger, more experienced Blayney counterparts.

But as it has in their previous games fitness, or lack thereof, got the better of Hawks as they waned in a big way during the final 10 minutes of each half.

Blayney took full advantage, scoring the majority of their points in the dying stages of each stanza. In fact, of the seven tries the Bears scored, five came during those two periods.

“We missed all our conversions. If we’d kicked them all it would’ve been 34-24, which I think would better reflect the game,” Gangaram said.

“We were right in it, they controlled the ruck really well and I think we can only get better from here.

“It was always going to be a rebuilding year, a rebuilding phase at the club but that sort of effort and performance shows we’re coming along, the signs are positive.

“I don’t think it will be very long (until we get that first win).”

On the other hand, despite the win, Blayney captain-coach Dane Howarth wasn’t pleased.

“We knew it’d be tough coming here, Hawks are after their first win but I wasn’t pleased with the performance at all,” Howarth said.

“We didn’t work towards any of our set plays. It took us until the last five minutes to hit one. We had a few out, it was one of those days, but a win’s a win I guess.

“We’ll need to step up another level after the bye though.”

Jordan Baker opened the scoring in the 7th minute, his four-pointer was the first of three tries Hawks picked up attacking Blayney’s left edge defence of Carter Hirini and Tom Leary, but the Bears hit back through Ryan Oborn straight away.

Kyle Robbins crossed for the hosts in the 17th to give his side the lead again, until Deryne McKenzie strolled over in the 33rd minute. With Josh Rainbow kicking both conversions and Jake Blimka missing two, the Bears held a 12-8 lead.

Rainbow’s converted try in the 37th minute gave the Bears an 18-8 lead at the break.

Blayney halfback Luke Petrie crossed straight after half-time to push the score to 22-8 but for the next 20 minutes it was all Hawks. The two blues camped in Blayney’s half, before Jedd Kennedy scored his first. 

Max Wolfson looked to have scored a few minutes later, but it was pulled back for a forward pass. It proved a costly error as Jake Crooks went 70 metres two tackles later to score for Blayney.

Oborn scored his second four minutes later, which Kennedy cancelled out by securing his brace. Crooks wrapped up the result in the 79th minute though, burrowing over for his second.

BLAYNEY BEARS 34 (Ryan Oborn 2, Jake Crooks 2, Deryne McKenzie, Josh Rainbow, Luke Petrie tries; Rainbow 3 goals) def ORANGE HAWKS 16 (Jedd Kennedy 2, Jordan Baker, Kyle Robbins tries)