Pat’s treated the crowd at the Sportsground to a good show as they ran in seven tries to three, a result that leaves them sitting just two points shy of the Mudgee Dragons at the top of the table.

The highlight was a double for both of Pat’s halves, Garry Reilly and Antonio Ale, in a memorable match for the team’s backs who relished the chance to play with a dry field beneath them.

Coach Kurt Hancock, turned player-coach for the weekend, said his team coped well considering how uncertain he was of the side’s final make-up.

“The attitude was the best thing. We had a pretty mixed week with players being in and out. We didn’t really know who we were going to have until Saturday morning,” he said. 

“To turn up with the right attitude and play like we did today, to play a good team game and have guys stepping up from reserve grade, it was a good performance.”

Hancock said the performance wasn’t perfect but admired the ability of his team to put in the effort until the final whistle.

“They’re still a good football side. I actually thought both sides were getting a bit flat towards the middle part of the game. Just over the last couple of games, with the wet weather, it can take a bit out of the teams because you’re always playing in the middle,” he said.

“We were lucky enough to get over that and push through that – that was the other pleasing thing. There were a few busted boys running out there but they chose not to lie down.”

Ale broke the deadlock at the 20-minute mark when he stepped a defensive line rushing out too quickly.

Corey Averio made it 10-0  nine minutes later before Cowra got on the scoreboard through a Warren Williams try and got the margin down to six.

With five to go before the break the Magpies put a kick out on the full and, from the resulting set, Ale slipped through at least three defenders on the way to his second try.

Reilly gave the home side an 18-4 lead at the break when he scooped up a loose ball on his own 10-metre line and ran the distance to the other end.

A converted try for Cowra halfback Ricky Whitton was almost followed immediately by one for Tim Holman, but he was ruled held up.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Campbell Scott got under a bomb, beating two Cowra players in the leap, and dished up the ball to Jake Bright for an easy finish and a 24-10 score.

After a small period of Cowra pressure, Holman caught Pat’s overlapped to get the visitors within eight before the Magpies fell apart.

Pat’s found a break off their own try line but it was brought to a jarring halt when Cowra fullback Jeremy Gordon put in a high shot, leaving the Magpies down a man when he was given his marching orders from the field.

The result was two more tries for Pat’s in the final six minutes, both from runs out of their own half.

Scott sold a dummy on the right wing to grab the first before Reilly diced with the left sideline in a run of similar length to his first try.

On a rare sunny Bathurst day in winter, Cowra coach Steve Sutton didn’t warm to his team’s performance.

“Defence will be one thing to look at. We leaked seven tries. I know a couple came from when we were down to 12 men, but that shouldn’t happen,” he said.

ST PAT’S 34 (Antonio Ale 2, Garry Reilly 2, Corey Averio, Jake Bright, Campbell Scott tries; Reilly 3 goals) defeated COWRA MAGPIES (Warren Williams, Ricky Whitton, Tim Holman tries; Jeremy Gordon 2 goals)