THEY were the the clear favourites for Friday night's Group 10 Junior Rugby League under 15s clash against Bathurst Panthers, but in the second half under extreme pressure St Pat's Blue were in need of some inspiration.
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It was inspiration they got from Leyton Lovett, the hard running forward providing a turning point in a contest the Saints went on to win 20-4 at Jack Arrow Oval.
Having lost just once so far this season, the second-placed St Pat's Blue outfit was expected to do it comfortably against a Panthers side sitting seventh on the ladder.
When the Saints forced a line drop out off the back of their first set then Regan Stait charged over, it looked as if the host's evening would unfold as they had planned.
But wet and slippery conditions combined with a determined showing from the Panthers - lock Drae Abell and halfback Declan Hodges leading the way - saw the young lads in black well in the contest.
It took a barnstorming run from Lovett to cross with eight minutes left on the clock for the Saints to really take control. His try made it 16-4.
"He had a great game, it's really good to play alongside him. He really lifts the team," Pat's prop Caleb Gunning said of his team-mate.
"We really had to work hard in the middle, their lock was really good and they were pretty aggressive. To win was good, it's always good to win a local derby."
Lovett's effort - he made good yards every time he carried, got through a load of defensive work and was held up over the line in the dying stages - was crucial in the wet.
The Saints looked most dangerous when their forwards hit the line hard, Gunning admitting Panthers made his side work hard for the win.
"They played good and we had to lift our standard a bit, it was definitely a hard one," he said.
"The conditions were terrible, it was really slippery, but it was a good, hard game. That ranks top three in hard games.
"I thought we had it in the first quarter after we scored from the kick-off and I thought we'd steady the ship from there. We fell off a bit though and had to have a bit of a speaking to, but we managed to turn it around."
ST PAT'S BLUE 20 (Regan Stait, Jacob Lamb, Leyton Lovett, Riley Hancock tries; Mac Hutchings 3 goals) defeated BATHRUST PANTHERS 4 (Declan Hodges try)
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