WE’RE going on a Bear hunt. 

A little over two months ago when St Pat’s ran out on to the field for their first match of the 2014 Group 10 premier league season, they wasted little time in sending a stern warning to their rivals by crushing the Blayney Bears 64-16.

Tomorrow when the Saints meet the Bears again they are hoping to make a similar statement and begin a charge they hope will ultimately take them to the Group 10 premiership.

Through the first 10 rounds of the season the Saints have suffered just two losses and despite having had one more bye than any of their rivals, only Mudgee sit above them on the competition ladder.

If that in itself was not proof of their credentials, the blue and whites head into tomorrow’s match after a come from behind 30-27 victory over defending champions Orange CYMS. That match saw coach Kurt Hancock tinker with his line up and he will retain many of those changes for the meeting with the Bears.

Garry Reilly and Antonio Ale will continue to steer the Saints as the halves pairing and Hancock has also opted to inject some new blood into his squad.

Speedster Adam Morton gets his first crack at premier league after being named on the wing, while John Hanscombe’s strong performance at fullback against CYMS means he will wear the number one again.

Luke Newsome looks to have booked a permanent place in the second row and Campbell Scott will once again act as the utility player from the bench. Daniel Baine gets a promotion to the top grade bench with Dane Fisher out injured.

Blayney sit at the foot of the ladder, their only joy a shock win over the Bathurst Panthers. Barring a huge turnaround in form, they will not be featuring in finals.

However, Hancock knows each win must be earned and that the Bears deserve respect. He believes they are capable of springing an upset before the end of season 2014.

“Their last three games they’ve scored 20-plus points which is enough to win games, they just have to tidy up their defence. At their best they will end up rolling someone, but I hope that team’s not going to be us,” he said.

“I expect a different Blayney this time around. They will have had time to work on their structures and combinations. If we start well, create defensive pressure and get our kicking game right, then we’ll do well.

“I don’t think it will be as easy a game as people may expect, but in saying that, it’s a game that we expect to win.” 

Hancock also believes he is lucky to have such a wide selection of players approaching July.

“We’ve only got Dane Fisher out in the entire team. That’s good for us, but a headache for me when trying to select a team. I can’t remember a season where at this time of year we’ve had so few players out,” he said. 

“It’s still a new combination in the halves. The last couple of weeks we’ve let in over 20 points, but before that we’ve usually kept teams to under 18. With our attack we’re always a chance to win, but we need to clean up our defence to the good level it was at in the start of the season.”

Kick-off is set for 2.30pm tomorrow, the first home fixture for Pat’s in four rounds.

ST PAT’S: 1 John Hanscombe, 2 Adam Morton, 3 Cyp Ale, 4 Dane Howard, 5 Jake Bright, 6 Garry Reilly, 7 Antonio Ale, 8 Luke Single, 9 Benjamin John, 10 Brent Dennis, 11 Paleatime Ale, 12 Luke Newsome, 13 Chris Boardman, 14 Cameron Neville, 15 Ben Thompson, 16 Daniel Baine, 17 Campbell Scott.