AS early as round 10, the dreaded words ‘mathematically possible’ were starting to come up when discussing the finals aspirations of Bathurst Panthers.

Very rarely after those words get bandied about does a team actually take advantage of the fact that they still have a very faint pulse.

However, as of the weekend Panthers did just that and earned a spot in the Group 10 premier league top five.

Amazingly, through the entire regular season John Fearnley’s side spent literally one day inside the top five. It was the day that counted.

A lot had to fall into place naturally, with Panthers turning their form on its head with a dominant victory over then leaders Mudgee in round 12 and going on to win four from their last five.

The 36-8 win on Saturday against Orange Hawks meant that they needed one more result to fall in their favour.

The alarming slide of premiers Orange CYMS was the other major factor and at half-time in the green and golds’ match against St Pat’s on Sunday things were still on a knife-edge.

“I didn’t go to the game on Sunday to watch those two, but [Panthers five-eighth] Matt Rose and a few of the other boys were down there texting me updates,” Fearnley said.

“At half-time when they were all square I was a bit nervous, but as St Pat’s started to turn it on the messages came through more frequently.

“By the time everyone knew that we’d made it, there were a lot of messages flying around from the younger blokes especially, they’re pretty excited.”

To watch Panthers, the obvious point of difference in the second half of their season has been the impact of Matt Rose and his brother Trent.

They seem like the perfect barometer for their side in that when they play well, Panthers win.

But there have been other factors as well.

For the first nine rounds captain Brent Seager didn’t have much front row support and Trent Rose in the second row was probably below his best.

Since then Panthers have acquired Fiji World Cup player Osea Sadrau, who has steadily warmed into top form, while Rose has been unstoppable on the left edge of the ruck.

Lock Jake Betts has cemented his spot with a huge work rate, while youngsters Blake Lawson (centre), Mitch Davis (wing) and Blake Dean (halfback) have all played their best football when it has mattered most. Blake Seager’s return to full fitness has had an impact as well.

“We knew from the start that the talent was there, but obviously the consistency wasn’t,” Fearnley said.

“People also tend to forget that we’ve only had [first choice hooker] Luke Carpenter for three games this year, Blake Seager has missed a lot of footy and Cody Robbins has also.

“I think if Oscar [Sadrau] had been there since round one we probably wouldn’t have taken this long to get going. He’s been one of the form props of the competition and takes a lot of pressure off Brent Seager.”

Form-wise, Hawks loomed as the biggest threat to minor premiers St Pat’s a fortnight ago thanks to a run of nine straight wins. However, their own loss to Pat’s and Saturday’s thrashing to Panthers has changed that.

Having defeated three of the other four finalists and lost by two points to Pat’s during the course of the season, there’s nothing to suggest Panthers’ run can’t continue.

“Our blokes now go over to Orange again this week knowing that we’ve just put nearly 40 points on Hawks and momentum is a hard thing to turn around,” Fearnley said.

“We’re going to be a dangerous side ... we weren’t supposed to be there. Cody busted his hand on Saturday but is already saying he can cut the plaster off and strap it up to play.

“Luke Carpenter is getting a bit itchy too and is thinking about trying to play, though a dislocated knee is a tough one to come back from, so we’ll see how that goes.

“No matter what, everyone is excited now. We’ve got four teams in the semis across the grades and that’s a huge effort.”

Panthers will meet Hawks at Wade Park on Saturday, with kick off for the elimination semi-final at 2.30pm.