DESPITE going all Harvey Dent on Wade Park yesterday, showing their best and worst at times, a dominant first half from Orange CYMS was enough to secure an easy Group 10 premier league 58-24 victory over Cowra.

The green and golds ran in 34 unanswered points in the opening half of yesterday’s match-up before falling asleep completely in the second period, letting Cowra run in five tries of their own.

Skipper Ben McAlpine and winger Robbie Mortimer both grabbed doubles in the 10-tries-to-five victory, while fullback Tim Bassmann - still, unfathomably, tryless in 2015 - took some solace in knowing while he still couldn’t find a way over the stripe, he was able to produce a moment of magic to give McAlpine his second.

In the 66th minute CYMS five-eighth Matt Rose banana-kicked looking for Bassmann, but with the chip slightly too deep the custodian selflessly channelled Greg Inglis to scoop the ball back from over the dead ball line to McAlpine, who duly slammed it down.

While pleased to score a massive win and maintain a four-point buffer at the top of the ladder, from Lithgow Workies in second, CYMS player-coach Mick Sullivan lambasted his side’s lack of application in the second half.

“I think it was just lack of attitude, and we don’t want to not apply ourselves for 80 minutes coming into semis and some pretty important games to finish the competition,” Sullivan said.

“Unfortunately we gave them too much ball, probably in first 10 minutes and definitely in the last 20.

“It was a disappointing finish, but it’s a win nevertheless.”

It didn’t take long for CYMS to open the scoring through crowd favourite Cam Jones.

CYMS took full advantage of some lackadaisical Magpies’ defence to run in five more first half tries - embodying Dent’s white knight, lock all the bad guys up tenacity - through McAlpine, second rower Kyran Bubb, Rose and Mortimer, who scored two.

McAlpine’s radar was well and truly on song, nailing five of six conversion attempts to lead 34-nil at the break.

The green and gold faithful were enthusiastically awaiting another second half romping, but the CYMS players - much like Dent after he had half of his face burned off, sans the maniacally evil attitude - became inconsistent and unpredictable in the second period.

Although the hosts scored the opening two tries of the period through prop Logan Pocklington and Sullivan, the green and golds switched off for the remaining 35 minutes.

WHAT THE COACHES HAD TO SAY:

Cowra hooker Codey Brooks dived over from dummy-half twice, once after Bubb was sin-binned for giving referee Billy Greatbatch a spray, as did centre Mitch Browne. 

Replacement winger Caley Mok bagged one as well, and kicked two goals.

But, with McAlpine scoring his second midway through the half and hooker Sam Hill grabbing scoring in dying stages - blatantly denying Bassmann his first try of the year - CYMS claimed the comfortable win.

Hill broke free, and with no one in front of him and Bassmann looming on his outside the diminutive rake looked to his custodian, before brushing him completely to cross himself.

“It’s a bit of a running joke now, [Bassmann] not scoring for this long, so I think a few of the boys like to rub it in,” Sullivan smiled.

“They’re pretty keen to keep him on that run, (but he had that) great try assist, Greg Inglis-type, for [McApline].”

Cowra coach Steve Sutton didn’t beat around the bush, labelling his side’s opening 40 minutes “very ordinary”.

“CYMS came out with the intensity we probably lacked and it showed on the scoreboard,” he said.

“We obviously played a lot better in the second half and scored a few points. We’re young, we’ll learn from that.”

ORANGE CYMS 58 (Ben McAlpine 2, Robbie Mortimer 2, Matt Rose, Mick Sullivan, Sam Hill, Cam Jones, Logan Pocklington, Kyran Bubb tries; McAlpine 9 goals) def COWRA MAGPIES 24 (Codey Brooks 2, Mitch Browne 2, Caley Mok tries; Mok 2 goals)