THE new-look St Pat's outfit, buoyed by major signings from Group 11, hosted the Oberon Tigers at the magnificent new Jack Arrow Oval in Bathurst on Sunday. It was a big day for Pat's as they christened their new field and they didn’t disappoint their fans, winning in all grades against the Oberon club.
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They say statistics can be manipulated but never lie, and that was the case in this game. The Tigers got 22 sets of possession in the first half, but were starved of the ball in the second half with only 11 sets. Running out of gas, the Tigers relinquished the lead within the last 10 minutes to go down 16-10 in a hard-fought contest.
Coach Luke Branighan was on deck for his first game of the season, but in-form second-rower Tui Oloapu was absent. It was a much-anticipated clash between the old rivals and the first 15 minutes saw the sides throw plenty at each other.
With Jackson Brien really settling into his new role at fullback and returning the Pat's kicks with venom, it was Oberon that started to gain the ascendancy at the 20-minute mark. It was only a string of penalties against the Tigers that relieved the pressure for St Pat's.
Props Josh Starling and Mick Hawkings led the way up front, continually breaking the defensive line. After sustained pressure and an astute kicking game from Branighan, Oberon found a way through. Five-eight Ben McAlpine sent a low kick for Josh Rivett to secure the first four-pointer of the game.
With Oberon up 4-0 and their tails in the air, it was looking bad for the blue and whites as Blake Fitzpatrick made deep attacking insertions, sending the Pat's defence scrambling time and time again. Josh Rivett looked like picking up his second of the day, but just failed to hold an awkward pass with the Pat’s line wide open.
The first half belonged to Oberon. Jackson Brien was outstanding, producing 60-metre kick returns and last-ditch, try-saving tackles on giant forwards. The Tigers went to the sheds up 4-0.
Saints came out in the second half full of energy and had the Tigers in trouble straight away, scoring off a kick in-goal that bounced wickedly for the Oberon defenders to level the game. After 15 minutes, it seemed like the Tigers hadn’t yet touched the ball. Repeat penalties against the Tigers had them pinned deep in their own half and doing a mountain of defence.
Somehow the Tigers held on and the grit and determination of their forwards, led by Josh Starling, saw them work upfield to finally encroach on the Pat's side of the park. With some ball at last, it was Branighan who sent a subtle short pass to a surging Andy Adams close to the Pat's line to crash over for Oberon to extend their lead to 10-4 after McAlpine converted.
From this point on, the Tigers, having to defend for long periods in the second half, just couldn’t stop the slick Pat’s backs, led by their quick-stepping fullback Sam Dwyer. Pat’s scored twice to run down the Tigers to the tune of 16-10.
It wasn’t a good day for the other grades, with the girls going down to a very strong St Pat's league tag side. The under 18s were in the game for a long time and never gave up, but in the end went down 26-12. First division staged a second half comeback from 20-0 to get within a couple of tries, only for St Pat's to rally and take the game out 30-10.
This Sunday is the game that everyone has been waiting for: a rematch of the 2017 grand final against Orange CYMS. League tag kicks off at 10.30am and premier league starts at 2.15pm. It’s the Oberon Tigers’ Anzac round, so make sure you come along.
