IF anyone feared Saturday's Central West AFL opening round was going to suffer in quality due to a late start to the season then the Bathurst derby that unfolded quickly put that thought to bed.
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Bathurst Bushrangers came away 14-11-95 to 8-10-58 winners from first division clash but not after being pushed hard by the Bathurst Giants during a frantic opening half.
Once the pace subsided Bushies gained ascendancy and kicked seven goals to the Giants' three over the final half to take the points.
"It was a really solid first hit out. They started really well and we were a little rusty. The scoreline at the end probably doesn't show how close it was," Bushrangers co-coach Tim Hunter said.
"In the second half things started to click a bit better and the things that we'd worked on in training started to come together which was impressive.
"I think everyone was just so keen that at the start that it made for a really fast-paced and hectic game. It's been a very long wait to get back and I think that was shown early on in the way both sides played."
Both sides went 2-3-15 through the first term before the Bushies gained a two-goal advantage at the break.
Bushrangers never ran away with the game, despite what the score what suggest, but once the Bushies' attack started to mirror the quality of their defence they gained the upper hand.
"We were really impressed with our backline, especially in that first half. Giants probably had the better of the play but the backline held up and set us up for the second half. Alex Davies was a rock back there," Hunter said.
"In the second half we started using the ball a bit better. I think in the first half the excitement levels were a bit too high and the skills weren't that great. Then we started hitting more targets and that's what turned the game in our favour."