After smashing Bathurst Bushrangers by 82 points a fortnight before, Cowra Blues were made to work for its 2010 flag, winning by just a kick 12-19-91 to 13-7-85.

Played at Cowra's Mulyan Oval, Bathurst started the game well to remind the Blues it wasn't going to be as easy as their preliminary final win, and at the end of the first quarter they held a five-point advantage.

Then in the second quarter came a defining moment in the match. Bathurst ruckman Tim Roebuck was sent off for 15 minutes after repeated infringements, and the Blues took full advantage, kicking three unanswered goals to hit the lead.

Bathurst hit back with a goal of their own, but when Central West best and fairest Dave Manning kicked his second goal of the game, the Blues took a 16 point half-time lead.

Third quarters had been the Blues' weak point this season, and Bathurst exploited this after half-time by kicking the first three goals to get within a point of the lead.

The Bathurst momentum continued to grow in the last term and they kicked two quick goals to hit the lead before Brendan Reid once again broke the Bushrangers' spirits with another goal to get the home side back in front. Both teams went goal-for-goal in the final 12 minutes, but it was the Blues who finally came out on top in a thrilling battle.

Looking for their 16^th straight win of the season, their second straight flag and a fourth win of the season over their archrivals, the Cowra Blues were simply too strong all over the park and led comfortably at every change to defeat the Bathurst Bushrangers 18-13-121 to 9-7-61.

The Bushrangers were not low on effort and made the contest a physical one for most of the day, but in the end the bigger and more experienced bodies in the Cowra side made sure that the visitors were not going to spring an upset.

The signs were not positive early for the Bushrangers as Cowra kicked two majors inside the first few minutes of play at Mulyan Oval and though Bathurst settled things down and began to win their share of ball, they couldn't impact the scoreboard, with Cowra eventually winning by 60 points.

A strong start from the Bathurst Bushrangers was enough to get over two-time defending champions Cowra Blues in the 2012 Central West AFL grand final 14-6-90 to 9-11-65.

Played at George Park, Bushrangers booted four goals in the opening term, before holding a healthy 39-point 10-5-65 to 5-6-36 lead at the long break.

At the final change Bathurst led 13-5-83 to 6-9-45 and looked headed for victory, but Cowra came out hard in the fourth quarter and threw everything at the Bushrangers.

In one of the biggest upsets seen in the league since the Bathurst Bushrangers formed in 2004, the Orange Tigers sprung a massive surprise to win 14-8-92 to 13-11-89 at George Park.

It was the first loss for Bathurst that season and just the second time they had tasted defeat in two years and for the Tigers, it ended a first grade premiership drought that stretched back to 2003.

As Bathurst players - who a fortnight earlier enjoyed an 82 point win over Orange - were left to wonder what had gone wrong, the Tigers celebrated. They had good reason to as they kept up their intensity throughout the entire match and in the main had Bathurst chasing the lead. Joel McKenzie got best on ground, but there were plenty who could lay claim to that honour with Bathurst skipper Matt Archer kicked six majors for the match and teammate Tom Williams shone in the centre.

A stunning seven-goal second term catapulted the Orange Tigers to back-to-back Central West AFL flags for the first time since 1999.

Forced to weather a ferociously physical opening term from the Bathurst Bushrangers, the Tigers came from two goals down early on to edge ahead by four points at the first break before systematically taking the game away from the Bushies when Orange skipper Tim Barry lifted to propel his side's lead out to 40 points in the second quarter.

Played out at a sun-drenched Country Club Oval, Barry booted four majors and directly assisted two others - the first to veteran full forward Murray Robotham and the second a brilliant snap to Jaydan Phillips - to help the hosts build an insurmountable half-time advantage.

One more minute.

That's how long the Bathurst Bushrangers had to hang on to end their losing run against Orange Tigers in Central West AFL grand finals. But it didn't happen.

With a contested mark and a calm kick, Andrew Nelson broke Bushranger hearts at Bloomfield Oval in fading light in the 2015 decider, with the Tigers claiming their third straight premiership 10-11-71 to 10-8-68.

All three have come at the expense of the Bushrangers.

Nelson, like most of the Tigers forwards, had been blanketed for most of the match by a staunch Bushrangers defence. But with the game on the line and a couple of kicks separating the sides, Orange lifted another gear.

One of their most experienced and classiest players, Tim Barry, kicked two crucial last-quarter goals and made arguably the most important play of the match. Nelson's goal will be remembered in years to come, but it was Barry who delivered the game-turning moment.

With around four minutes to play and his team trailing by 11 points, Barry mowed down Bushrangers defender Tom Regan and won a holding-the-ball free kick. He went back and booted a major to bring the deficit below a goal.

Cowra Blues formed a mighty recovery in the fourth quarter of the 2016 Central West AFL grand final, when they were down a man and trailing the Bathurst Bushrangers Outlaws by nine points.

Played at Mulyan Oval, in the last term Cowra kicked four majors while Bathurst managed just two behinds to register a 10-11-71 to 7-12-54 win.

It was a stunning outcome that many spectators would not have expected, especially when the Outlaws had all the momentum and Cowra were falling victim to its own poor discipline.

Player-coach Mark Dixon described the last stanza as amazing. "We played better with less people on the field," Mark Dixon said. "We have had three or four blokes sent off this season and each time we have lifted."

Best on ground award winner Nathan Worth opened the scoring in the fourth term before 16-year-old Tyrone McKeown forced a turnover and slotted the goal from in front to give the Blues a 58-54 lead, and the momentum.

Further majors to Nick Collet and Aaron Thorn sealed the 17-point win.

After four consecutive years of grand final pain, on Saturday the Bathurst Bushrangers were celebrating a Central West AFL premiership as the Outlaws beat Orange Tigers 13-11-89 to 7-9-51 in 2017.

While Tigers were first into the grand final and had the advantage of playing on their home turf, Outlaws led at every change at Bloomfield Oval.

Outlaws co-captain Matt Archer, who had been part of the Bushrangers sides that lost three consecutive grand finals to Orange between 2013-15, was delighted to final hoist the premiership trophy.

"It feels good, it's overwhelming actually. There are more tears here amongst the boys now than there was when we lost," he said.

A brilliant final-quarter comeback led to scenes of pure jubilation for the Orange Tigers and utter devastation for the Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels at full-time in Saturday's Central West AFL grand final.

The Rebels looked all but home and hosed as they led by 27 points at the final break but the Tigers rallied in a huge way in the final term to clinch a 12-10-82 to 10-19-79 victory at George Park 2.

It was Andrew Henry who kicked the match-winner with a touch over two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock, but of course his entire team was sent into raptures when his nudge sailed through.

"The message was to dig in," Tigers captain Luke Thorley said of the three-quarter time address. "It's huge. We are arch rivals, to beat them in the ground final, the biggest day of the year, on their home ground, it's something you can't really put into words."

It was seven years in the making, so when Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels co-coach Matt Archer got to celebrate a Central West AFL premiership win in 2019 on his home soil at George Park 2 it was a moment he relished.

The Rebels proved too good for rivals Orange Tigers in the blustery conditions to emerge 9-15-69 to 5-9-39 victors.

While Archer was also part of the Bushrangers Outlaws outfit which had been crowned champions in 2017 at Orange's Bloomfield Oval, Saturday's victory was the first the Bathurst club had won in front of a home crowd in seven seasons.

It meant Archer was not the only person clad in teal, black and white who was celebrating after the full-time siren.

His fellow Rebels and a host of other Bushrangers players, supporters and officials were too.

"It's the first one I've won at home since 2012. I've lost two since then at home, so to finally actually win one at home again - it's a surreal feeling," he said.