The Blayney Bears couldn’t on Sunday at the Oberon Sports Ground as the Tigers won 42-20 in the top-of-the-table clash to keep their undefeated start to the season intact.

Numerous tackle busts and offloads were the main source of the Tigers’ tries, halfback Anton Wereta picking himself up a hat-trick and hooker Blake Fitzpatrick nabbing a brace.

Down 36-10, the Bears briefly threatened a comeback through two second-half tries before Wereta’s last try of the day sealed the deal.

You couldn’t wipe the smile from Tigers player-coach Zac Rowlandson post-game as he called the performance the most consistent his side had produced so far this year.

“They definitely don’t give up, those blokes [Blayney]. They came back hard and it’s great to get a win like that over them,” he said.

“We had a couple of little lapses, but that’s still probably our most consistent performance so far.

“It’s the most consistent preparation we’ve had since we’ve come back in the Group and it’s paying off. Everyone’s performing better than expected and everyone is gelling. It’s really good to see.”

A Wereta intercept on Blayney’s 20 metre line got the Tigers onto the board first, but Lawrence Fogg quickly responded on the Bears’ next set to level the scores at 6-all.

The Bears briefly took the lead through a Fogg try that came about thanks to an overlap on the right wing.

Fitzpatrick got on the end of a short grubber to plant the ball down just inside the dead ball line and put his side ahead once more in the back-and-forth opening term.

A Matt Rose line break set up fellow Tigers half Wereta for an easy try under the posts for an 18-10 lead at the break.

The Tigers started to build momentum and completions through the middle of the park to begin the second half. They were rewarded in the 50th minute when an excellent solo run and try from Fitzpatrick saw his side go 14 points clear.

One of the Tigers’ best on ground for the match, Abel Faifua-Lefaoseu, picked up a well-earned try before a big George Rose tackle bust and offload helped set up Tyler Hughes for a four-pointer.

The Tigers looked untouchable until a pair of errors from them saw Blayney run in two quick tries, Fogg completing his hat-trick and Deryne McKenzie also crossing.

The comeback wasn’t to be when yet another Fitzpatrick line break helped set up Wereta for his third try of the day, putting the result beyond doubt.

High shots from both George and Matt Rose in the closing stages saw them put on report and briefly dampened the mood around the ground.

However, when George Rose picked up a Blayney opponent in the final minutes of the match and drove him back over 10m, the roar from the home crowd was immense. 

It was the perfect way to cap off a memorable day for a club continuing their stunning resurgence from last year’s wooden spoon.

“We knew it would be tough coming down here. We had to win the middle and go wide. Every time we won the middle and would go wide we seemed to drop it or make a mistake,” Bears coach Dane Howarth said.

“We stuck with our structure, which started to bring us back into the game in the middle of the second half, but the execution wasn’t there. Our discipline was probably the best it’s been for three years, though.

“Including myself and another two boys, we had three out. It was still pretty positive because we had a few guys playing out of position.”

OBERON TIGERS 42 (Anton Wereta 3, Blake Fitzpatrick 2, Abel Faifua-Lefaoseu, Tyler Hughes; Trent Rose 7 conversions) defeated BLAYNEY BEARS 20 (Lawrence Fogg 3, Deryne McKenzie; Josh Rainbow 2 conversions)