AT all levels of rugby league there is a special place for players who display absolute disregard for their bodies.

In the NRL Martin Lang and Dallas Johnson became cult heroes through the course of their careers for showing such characteristics.

On a Bathurst stage, players like St Pat’s premiership lock Matt Tilley and ex-Panthers hooker Grant Walsh were men who routinely played above their weight against some fearsome opposition.

Now Bathurst Panther Jake Betts is quickly establishing himself as a footballer in a similar mould.

In his first full season in Group 10 premier league, Betts has earned a permanent spot in the starting side at the back of the scrum for Panthers.

Today he and his team-mates will fight to earn a finals position when they travel to Orange to take on the high-flying Hawks, who had strung together nine straight wins before hitting a hurdle against St Pat’s last Sunday.

For Panthers to finish fifth, they need to win today and hope that Pat’s knock over the wobbling Orange CYMS outfit tomorrow.

As he has been all year, Betts will be a key man for Panthers given his huge work rate in the centre of the field.

“It’s been a pretty good year I think, every week I’ve tried to get a bit better and I think most of the time I’ve done that. My goal at the start of the year was to cement a starting first grade spot and I’ve managed it so far,” he said.

“I don’t really think about the size thing too much, I know I’ve got a job to do and I just try and do it.

“I’m not the quickest and I’m certainly not a very good ball player, so I just try and hold onto it and cart it forward.”

Betts’ appraisal of his style is fairly accurate.

While fellow forwards Brent Seager, Trent Rose and Osea Sadrau have been hugely influential in Panthers’ late season charge, the grunt work that Betts offers has played a massive role.

He has regularly got through 25 or more hit-ups in a match, frequently taking two per set, and often he takes them when they are most needed.

He is quick to deflect praise though and said that the improvement since the oft spoken about loss to Blayney in round seven was a catalyst for the rest of the pack to stand up.

“We probably sound like broken records talking about it, but that game was where we had a good look at ourselves and thought that it wasn’t good enough, we knew we could do better than what we were,” he said.

“We were playing 30 minute halves and it was costing us massively. Losing by two points to St Pat’s, to Oberon, and a close one to CYMS, we should already be in the top five.

“The likes of big Seags [Brent Seager] and Trent Rose have been outstanding and when they’re playing well, it gives Matt Rose and the rest of the backs so much more time and room to play with.”

Betts’ coach has been pleased with his progress and claims he can still get better.

“He’s in his first year out of under 18s, so to do what he’s done is very impressive,” John Fearnley said.

“You need that sort of player who just gets through a heap of work. I think he could probably do with an extra five or six kilos on his frame, but I see him being a long term option at lock for the club for sure.”

Panthers play Hawks this afternoon from 1.30pm at Wade Park.

BATHURST PANTHERS: 1 Cody Robbins, 2 Chris Shephard, 3 William Kennedy, 4 Blake Lawson, 5 Mitch Davis, 6 Matt Rose, 7 Blake Dean, 8 Brent Seager, 9 Joey Bugg, 10 Osea Sadrau, 11 Trent Rose, 12 Blake Seager, 13 Jake Betts.