THE first all-Bathurst Central West AFL top grade match in 13 years was played at George Park on Saturday and it was the Bushrangers Rebels who dominated with a 159-point mauling of the Giants.

The Rebels were unrelenting throughout the contest, restricting the Giants to just a pair of majors to win the historic match 27-16-178 to 2-7-19.

The last time two Bathurst sides squared off in the Central West AFL first grade competition was in 2003, as that year’s premiership included both the Bathurst Eagles and CSU Bulldogs. 

The Eagles won five consecutive crowns from 1993-97 in an impressive streak, while they also claimed four lower grade flags.

At one stage there was another Bathurst club competing as well – the Kelso Crows. They won the 1998 reserve grade title.

By season 2004 there was one Bathurst entity – the Bushrangers – a club created by the merger of the Eagles and the Bulldogs. 

Both had been struggling in the top grade as individual clubs, but the Bushrangers have appeared in every first grade grand final since and won the flag in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2012.

The Bathurst Giants joined the league in 2014 as a club which fielded teams in the junior divisions.

This year the Central West AFL competition has just one senior grade instead of separate first and reserve grade competitions. The Bushrangers have fielded two teams – the Rebels and the Outlaws.

The Giants also made the decision to field a senior team for the 2016 competition, paving the way for Bathurst derbies in the top flight once more.

Saturday marked the first of those and one of the stars was Matt Griffin. He booted six majors for the Rebels, who have now piled on 329 points across their first two matches of the season.

In the opening term both sides struggled to get the ball inside their own 50 metres, but the Rebels did more with their opportunities to open up a 14-point advantage.

The second quarter was a different story as the Rebels began to assert their authority. The more experienced Bushrangers outfit booted seven majors to go to the long break with a 72-9 lead.

From there the Rebels went on with the task at hand, their dominant performance seeing them sit on top of the ladder after two rounds.

“They [Giants] came out really hard in that first quarter, playing like they had something to prove. I think once we got on top, their players struggled to find the right spots on the field and that made it easier for us to bring the ball out of our back line,” Rebels co-coach Tom Regan said.

“We tried not to come out too complacent. With all the new players and structures, we didn’t really know what to expect from them.

“Our best on ground as voted by the players was James Rigby. After we were struggling in that part of the game, he was the one looking for the shorter options going into our forward line. Everyone else followed on from that example.

“The Giants have got a lot of quality players there and a lot of guys who are also starting out with their footy. There’s young players with a lot of potential to develop and if you give them a couple of years, they should become a quality side.”

As Regan indicated, there were still encouraging signs for the Giants.

Orange Tigers recruit Andrew Nelson and Oscar Hutchings kicked goals for the Giants and were two of the best on ground for their beaten side.

Giants coach Mark Kennedy said the way his team continues to carry themselves on the field and the development of the younger players was more important than the result.

“One of the best comments I heard after the game was that our guys never gave up. No matter what the score was, our heads never went down,” he said.

“The game was played in the best spirit that I’ve seen since my involvement in football began. The end result was a great inter-club game. It’s a win for the AFL and a win for Bathurst.

“There’s still some really good signs for us from that first quarter. I think we can take some teams by surprise going later into the season. We’re looking for our first win, but I don’t feel like it’s too far away.”

Meanwhile, Kennedy’s playing career has officially come to a close after he sustained an ankle injury in the early stages of Saturday’s game. 

BATHURST BUSHRANGERS REBELS 27-16-178 (Matt Griffin 6, Jack Vogan 5, James Rigby 4, Harry Bowden 3, Tom Regan 2, Steve Grundy 2, John Noyen, Jordan Dennis, Pat Fisher, Tom Markey, Nigel Sharp) defeated BATHURST GIANTS 2-7-19 (Andrew Nelson, Oscar Hutchings)