Blowes Clothing Cup: Orange Emus defeat Bathurst Bulldogs 31-5 at Endeavour Oval

That was the day Orange Emus ventured to Ann Ashwood Park and sustained a 19-10 loss in the opening round of the Blowes Clothing Cup competition.

It was also the date that Pete Bromley's men have eyed off for six weeks as the premiers have been hell bent on flipping the script on that dreaded day ever since.

The reigning premiers exacted revenge at Endeavour Oval on Saturday afternoon, thumping Bulldogs 31-5 on the back of a sensational performance from young front rower Digby Cooper.

The matched marked a special occasion for centre Lachie Harris as the flyer celebrated 100 games in the top grade.

The going was tough early on as the rivals slugged it out for the opening 20, with Emus holding onto a 7-5 lead.

But, in the shadows of half-time, it was Tom Joseph who extended the lead, the former Australian school boy and Lebanese international crashing over the stripe after a scrappy pass from Nigel Staniforth.

While it only gave them a seven-point buffer, that breakthrough set the tone for a 19-0 second half as the first-placed outfit never looked like losing from there on in.

The win marked a fifth consecutive triumph from Emus as milestone man Lachie Harris reflected on the afternoon's work.

"It was really tough, mate," Harris said.

"They put it to us there... especially in the first half. We definitely had to grind it out there in the second half but it was good to put some points on towards the end there.

"We didn't drop off like we have the last few games."

Emus have been held bent on adhering to a set structure this season, and that's where Harris feels his troops gained an advantage.

"We really stuck to our guns and we didn't shy away from it," he said.

"They were probably up for it in the first half but we just kept to it and it worked for us."

The scrum was an facet of play that had been spoken about during the week, and Harris touched on the work his forward pack put in.

"Digby [Cooper] and Ant [Carver] were probably our two best players today," he said.

"They definitely put their money where their mouth is. They were really good today."

A positive Buzz Webber fronted the media after the match, shedding light on what he thought of the loss.

"Coming to the defending premier's home turf... it's never going to be an easy game," Webber said.

"You're going to have to play 80 minutes of pretty sharp footy. There were glimpses out there today but unfortunately we switched off a few times, and Emus capitalised."

Head coach Mick Leseberg chimed in as well, credited the champions for their efforts.

"They're direct and they're clinical," Leseberg said.

"I don't think the scoreline really represents how close we were. I think there were patches of the game where we were dominant.

"But, when we made mistakes, they countered really well which makes it really hard for us. We didn't switch from offense to defence fast enough."

Leseberg wasn't too discouraged after the match, suggesting his side certainly has what it takes to match it with the premiers.

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