Four wins from four starts and sitting alongside Orange CYMS on top of the Group 10 premier league ladder – 2017 has so far gone to script for Luke Branighan’s Oberon Tigers.
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But the former NRL gun is, by his own admission, a realist.
And he’s not about to let himself, or his Tigers teammates, get too carried away with their perfect start to the winter, not ahead of his side’s first away game of the 2017 season.
“We’re in a good spot, four from four, but I’m pretty realistic, and we’re probably three or four lengths off the top sides in Panthers and CYMS,” he said.
“Hopefully we can bridge that gap during the season.”
The Tigers’ latest win was the club’s most impressive, and at the very least shows Oberon is more than capable of competing with the aforementioned sides Branighan says the competition is chasing.
Up against defending premiers Mudgee, the Tigers captain-coach inspired his side to a 21-14 win over the Dragons – the veteran pivot scoring three tries, booting two goals and landing a crucial field goal in the victory.
Branighan believes the fact his side won without gun centre Abel Faifua-Lefaoseu, backrower Trent Rose and young utility Blake Fitzpatrick made securing the two points all the more pivotal.
“It was our best performance of the year considering the circumstances, the players we had out,” he said.
“Super proud of them, we had every reason to put the white flag up but the boys showed some character and we got away with the win.”
He said accounting for 17 of his side’s points in the win was “what I’ve been brought to the club to do”.
“Under the circumstances (on Sunday) as the senior player and the captain-coach, you need to stand up in those kind of games and hopefully I did that,” he said.
The Tigers travel to Bathurst this weekend to take on the winless St Pat’s.
After a month at home, the trip down the mountain is the Oberon club’s first away game in 2017 and despite the fixture being against a side still searching for win number one this season, it’s going to be far from easy.
“I know it’s a cliche but we can’t get ahead of ourselves and we won’t,” Branighan said.
“We need to turn up with a good attitude against St Pat’s. Knowing Kurt (Hancock) and playing against Kurt years ago, they’ll be switched on in defence and probably won’t give us too many opportunities with the ball.
“We can’t look too far ahead or we’ll undo all our good work in the first month.”
Oberon takes on St Pat’s this weekend, before a hosting Blayney in round six and then traveling to Orange to play CYMS in round seven.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
