WHEN two unbeaten teams come together you can often expect a great back and forth game but Orange Hawks' under 18s team weren't keen on following that script.
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St Pat's were looking to keep the great start to their Tom Nelson Under 18s Premiership going with their first home game of the season on Sunday, only to come across a defending champion Hawks side at their ruthless best.
Hawks kept the hosts scoreless as the Orange boys recorded a dominant 38-0 win at Jack Arrow Sporting Complex.
Centre Azariah Ah-See scored a hat trick in the win while hooker Billy Morgan crossed twice in the one-sided contest.
An early sin bin for the Hawks threatened to invite early pressure from the Saints but when the home side couldn't convert they suffered big consequences.
The win was a great 18th birthday present for Hawks second rower Matthew McKenna
McKenna, who was part of the 2023 champion Hawks squad, said the team haven't taken a step backwards this year despite seeing several star players age out of the competition.
"You never expect a score like that. It's always a grind at the start of both halves but I think we just stuck together. We've been training well.
"When it breaks open at the end of each half that's when we've been able to capitalise.
"We have a lot of the 16s coming up who won their comp last year and they've been fitting in nicely. They're working in with our shape and all their hard work's paying off.
"We're still building and there's a lot to improve on and we're looking good for the back end of the season."
Pat's can't make use of player advantage, Hawks run riot
Things took a rough turn for the Hawks less than two minutes into the game when Jimmy Harper found himself in the sin bin for dissent.
But the Hawks survived the 10 minute stretch while down a man, and the Saints failed to capitalise on several chances near the Orange try line.
Hawks punished Pat's by scored four tries in the space of 15 minutes shortly after they returned to full numbers.
Riley Hoad scored the first try of the game and moments later skipper Hugh Coady-Jiear found himself in plenty of space when running hard onto a short pass, scoring the second try to put Hawks 8-0 up.
Hawks scored straight away from the kick-off when Billy Morgan finished off a length-of-the-field play down the left edge, then Haiden Porter piled on the pain for the Bathurst boys with another try just before half-time.
Ah-See scored just a minute into the second half and Morgan crossed midway through the period to put the result completely beyond doubt.
Hawks continued to take the Saints apart down the right wing as Ah-See completed his hat trick by scoring twice inside the last 12 minutes of the game.
ORANGE HAWKS 38 (Azariah Ah-See 3, Billy Morgan 2, Riley Hoad, Hugh Coady-Jiear, Haiden Porter tries; Hoad 3 conversions) defeated ST PAT'S 0
Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
