Nathan Smith kicks seven, Jordan Price hits 100 games as Bathurst Bushrangers win AFL Central West derby against Bathurst Giants

Smith's efforts inside 50 helped the Bushrangers' men's tier one side to a 13-17-95 to 6-9-45 win over the Bathurst Giants at George Park 2.

It also showed he has recovered from a head knock which left him concussed in round nine.

"I just missed the one week, all the symptoms cleared up pretty early the week before which was nice," Smith said.

"I'm not a good watcher at the best of times, so it's never nice to be sitting on the sideline knowing you can't have any influence at all, but it was nice to see the boys get the job done."

Smith's efforts in what was his 10^th match as a Bushranger highlights his value to the club. He's now kicked 51 majors and shapes as a key in their premiership tilt.

But Smith was delighted to see another Bushranger in the spotlight on Saturday.

Jordan Price, who began his career as an Auskicker and worked through the Bushrangers' junior grades, marked his 100^th game.

He overcame plenty of adversity to reach that milestone too, this season the first time in four years Price has been able to play in his beloved Bushies colours.

"It's a pretty special story, obviously this is the first year I've played with them all, but coming back from two ACLs, he's what you call a heart and soul player of the club," Smith said of Price.

"He's always the first to put his hand up to help and that shines through, you see it every week. He's always first there, last to leave sort of thing.

"So the boys were stoked for him and just to be able to get around him and support him was really exciting to be a part of."

Price produced his typically strong game and while unlucky not to have joined Smith on the goal scorers' list as he missed a shot on the full-time siren, by then the victory was already assured.

However, it was a win the Bushrangers had to work hard for.

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Eager to be the first side to beat the Bushrangers this season, the Giants worked hard to match them.

At the main break the Bushrangers led 6-8-44 to 3-7-25, but the Giants kept coming. It took a five-goal final term for Smith and his team-mates to seal the win.

"They were strong, it was a really tightly contested game all the way until the last quarter really where we managed to kick away a bit," Smith said.

"The Giants are a strong team who were able to really take it to us, they've improved drastically as they year has gone on.

"It's good to have that knowledge we can withstand the pressure, withstand the fight and kick away at the end. We worked really hard during the off-season, we know we've done the work, so we back ourselves in and know we can run out a game really well."

The Giants will get another crack at the Bushrangers before the finals, with four rounds of the regular season remaining.

Smith knows that while the Bushrangers have already secured a spot in the grand final, they must keep working hard if they are to achieve their ultimate goal.

"We're all striving towards winning that premiership, it's the sole focus of us all and we've ticked a box getting that minor premiership, but if we take the foot off the pedal, then everyone is there and thereabouts on their day," he said.

"We had that really tight game against Dubbo a couple of weeks ago and the Giants have really taken it up to us, so we know if we're not on top of our game, not 100 percent at the ball, they'll knock us off.

"Winning each week is very important to keep that momentum rolling.

"We feel like we're the benchmark of the competition, we haven't dropped a game yet, but we know teams will rise against us so we have to be able to withstand that pressure."

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