The Tigers were still missing Josh Starling through suspension and the in-form Richie Peckham was unavailable as they took on the Luke Branighan-led St Pat's outfit.

Both teams, sitting alongside each other on the ladder, were desperate for a win to give themselves a chance of forcing themselves into the top five.

The game was evenly balanced in the opening exchanges and it was the visitors who broke the deadlock with a barging try at the 10-minute mark.

READ ALSO:

Tigers show grit, but fall just short against Orange Hawks

Another tough loss for the Tigers as the task gets more difficult

Full-strength Orange CYMS hand Oberon Tigers a defeat

With St Pat's up 6-0, the Tigers knew that they must score next to keep the game in check.

Matt Ranse provided that opportunity with a deft, angled kick into the St Pat's in-goal for Blake Fitzpatrick to steam through and claim his first try of the season. Farren Lamb kicked the easy conversion to lock up the scores 6-6.

The next passage of play saw the Tigers desperately defending their line as St Pat's piled on the pressure with Branighan peppering the home team with kicks and cut-out passes. Somehow the Tigers hung on and were able to launch a long-distance raid, sending Jacob Howes sprinting downfield.

With the defence converging, Howes managed to find Jackson Brien in support and the Tigers captain was able to hold off the defenders in a race to the tryline.

With Oberon up 12-6, St Pat's worked their way upfield to post themselves on the Tigers' line again. Despite some outstanding defence from the likes of Jake Dawe, the blue and whites were able to burrow over and level up the scores 12-12 going into halftime.

The message from Starling at the break was that his men needed to 'win the ruck' as St Pat's were able to effectively slow the Tigers in the first 40 minutes.

With the game on a knife's edge, St Pat's started the second half at breakneck speed, putting the Tigers quickly on the back-foot.

Once again it was Matt Ranse, having a huge impact on the game, who wrestled control back in favour of Oberon. Close to the line, Ranse spied an opportunity and cut through to open the second half scoring at the 14th minute.

With a very difficult conversion in the swirling northwesterly from out wide, Lamb added the extras to give the home side an 18-12 lead.

The Tigers were beginning to assert their authority and, playing patient, no-mistake footy, camped themselves in the St Pat's red-zone and applied the pressure.

St Pat's eventually cracked when Lamb switched direction and caught the defence off-guard to score in the corner. With his kicking game unblemished, Lamb steered the ball over the black dot in a mighty effort to extend the scoreline out to 24-12 with 14 minutes remaining.

In the face of a committed Oberon defensive effort, St Pat's were able to find an overlap and cross out wide to narrow the Tigers' lead to 24-16 with eight minutes remaining.

Ryan Thompson, playing only his second first grade game, sealed the victory for the Tigers with a neat individual effort to score his first top-grade try. Lamb, having a perfect day with the boot, slotted the conversion to post the final scoreline of 30-16.

With car horns blaring, the Oberon faithful showed their appreciation as the Tigers saluted their supporters as they left the field.

THis week, with Starling and Peckham back on deck, the Tigers make the long trip to Cowra to take on the fifth-placed Magpies who are only two competition points in front.

Group 10 ladder: Bathurst Panthers 26, Orange Hawks 24, Mudgee Dragons 20, Lithgow Workies 18, Cowra Magpies 14, Orange CYMS 12, Oberon Tigers 12, Bathurst St Pat's 10 and Blayney Bears 4.