THE Bathurst Panthers go into Sunday's local derby at Carrington Park against St Pat's having not tasted defeat in Group 10 premier league since May 1 and are only behind competition leaders Orange CYMS on for-and-against.
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But if there is one team in the competition who brings in a run of form that stacks up well to the men in black, it is St Pat's.
Their own streak currently stands at three, but it is the fact that they defeated fellow high-flyers Orange CYMS and then-unbeaten Oberon that give extra credibility to the Saints' recent achievements.
Factor in their improving roster that now includes strike weapons Pale 'Coops' Ale and Demetrius Ainuu, and they are a force to be reckoned with, a fact not lost on Panthers manager Danny Dwyer.
"The general feeling when we beat them in the first round [30-22] was that we'd played pretty well, but they had a couple of easy games going into that whereas we had been tested a bit more and that might have played a part," Panthers manager Danny Dwyer said.
"We may have got them at a good time. Since then they've had some tough tests, and to beat Orange CYMS and Oberon shows that their form is as good as anyone's, and their best footy is certainly up there with the best.
"We heard they might be adding Demetrius to their roster, he's a big pick-up for them and with he and Pale Ale in the squad it doesn't leave many holes in their side where you can exploit them."
On the plus side for Panthers, there is scope for improvement on what they've produced recently.
Wins over competitive outfits like Blayney and Mudgee have been good, but not great, given that they have dominated those matches without blowing their opposition away.
"It happened last Saturday against Blayney, we played some really good football at times but they actually completed their sets better than we did. We can turn it around but we've got to stop pushing the pass, we have to go at better than 60 per cent," Dwyer said.
"There is a lot on the line this week, given where St Pat's are on the ladder, this is a good opportunity to put some real distance between ourselves and some of the other teams competing for a top three finish.
"We've got a strong side this weekend, we're only missing Claude Gordon who we believe is only two weeks away and Blake Seager who is three weeks from playing.
"It's a big game for [ex-Saint and Oberon player] Wade Judd, he'd love to get a win over his old sides in the next couple of weeks."
Kick-off is at 2pm at Carrington Park on Sunday.