MISSING a round of home Group 10 football against the Blayney Bears this Sunday is naturally a disappointing outcome for St Pat's but it does come with a silver lining.
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Saints' upcoming league tag, reserve grade and under 18s clashes with the Bears were called off after Group 10 implemented a round-wide cancellation of fixtures amid the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne lockdown.
However, Jack Arrow Oval has been put under the pump by the recent deluge around Bathurst and has produced some slow and muddy affairs over the past few weeks.
Saints president Graham Ward backed the decision to called off this weekend's action.
"It's better to safe than sorry ... and we should be following medical advice," he said.
"One good thing to come out of it is that it will give our fields a chance to rest. They've been copping a caning because it's been so wet.
"I was speaking to Trevor Sims from the council who said a couple of weeks without traffic would be great for them."
Saints sides are gearing up for an exciting run towards the last round of the competition.
The first grade and reserve grade squads are eyeing off top four finishes while the under 18s are fighting for survival.
Their women's league tag side continue to dominate the competition and are still alive in their bid to complete another unbeaten premiership season.
Ward said every grade has had a reason to feel positive as the run towards the finals begins to ramp up.
"The women are leading the charge as they always do. They're a great group of girls and they always stick together," he said.
"Our under 18s have come very close on a lot of occasions and they got a great win on the weekend at Mudgee. That's big for their confidence, and I'm sure there's a few more wins for those guys around the corner.
"Reserve grade have had a typical problem for reserve grade teams in Group 10 - on away games they struggle for players, then at home they've got too many.
"First grade have had a couple of close losses but who knows what can happen come semi-final time?"
The next round for Pat's will be against Lithgow Workies on August 1.
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