SO far this Central West Rugby Union season Ashwood Park has been a fortress for the Bathurst Bulldogs and it is a trend they will look to extend this Saturday as they host the Mudgee Wombats.

The Bulldogs remain unbeaten at home in what has been a strong start to the season, the Bathurst outfit heading into the clash on the back of four consecutive victories.

Last Saturday the Bulldogs were near flawless in their 29-0 victory over the Cowra Eagles – an outfit who had been sitting on top of the competition ladder without a loss.

While the Orange Emus now occupy first place, a superior for and against record giving them the nod over Bathurst, the good early season form of the Bulldogs has them sitting comfortably in the top five.

Bulldogs co-coach Scott Johnston said there is a great vibe amongst his players at the moment. Their confidence stems from not only their good run of results, but that they managed to kept a clean sheet last Saturday.

“We’re pretty confident. Obviously the most pleasing thing out of that game was our defence. I think it was a very complete performance with everyone working hard and playing for each,” he said.

“Having the same team each week means everyone’s getting used to playing alongside each other quicker.

“A lot of teams talk about the importance of winning the home matches and that is one of our goals this year too, to win almost all our games at home.”

Surprisingly Mudgee, a team who struggled last season and ended up with the wooden spoon, are currently in the top five as well.

They are four points behind the Bulldogs thanks to three wins and earning a bonus point in each of their five outings. It eclipses the two wins they managed in 2014.

The Wombats very nearly upset Orange City last weekend as well, going down 34-31. It was a performance that demonstrates they are not a team to be taken lightly.

“Mudgee are a side that have obviously improved a lot compared to last year. They must have played very well to be three points off Orange City last weekend. I think we may need to even lift on what we did last week,” Johnston said.

“The main thing seems to be their depth. They have teams in all grades and colts. Their colts team last year was strong and obviously having that extra year of experience in the competition has helped.

“Coming up from Graincorp to Blowes [Cup] was a big step for them to take last year, but with that experience they’re now reaping the rewards.”

The match kicks off at 3.15pm.

BATHURST BULLDOGS: 1 Chris Plunkett, 2 Mark Donnelley, 3 Sean Fogarty, 4 Izaak Breen, 5 Lachlan Bull, 6 Alistair Fryer, 7 Peter Fitzsimmons, 8 Adam Dwyer, 9 Tom Hollis, 10 Steven Locke, 11 Tyson Smith, 12 Tom Joseph, 13 Josh Lees, 14 Justin Mobbs, 15 Phil Tonkin.