But unlike the prior round's draw with CYMS, the Bathurst side was able to hang on and defeat the Macquarie Raiders on Saturday.

The 26-22 loss was the Raiders' first of the season and saw them slip from the top of the ladder into a share of third after CYMS and Forbes also won in round three.

The defeat also leaves the Anthony Egan-Smith coached side facing two crucial fixtures in the final two rounds.

The Raiders head to Forbes next weekend to take on a Magpies side which has now won two successive matches while a derby clash with local rivals CYMS then awaits before finals begins.

They head into those games after a slow start cost them on Saturday at Bathurst's Diggings Oval.

It appeared at one point the Raiders were set to suffer a heavy defeat as the hosts shot out of the blocks and built a commanding 26-6 lead.

With his side in total control, St Pat's coach Tyson Medlyn then decided to change things up and that allowed the Raiders back into the contest.

The Dubbo side soon got some momentum through the forwards and the points began to flow after that.

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"We controlled most the game," Medlyn said.

"Our forwards were dominant in the middle and the halves did their job off the back of it but for about 45 minutes of that game we were in the driver's seat.

"Credit to Macquarie, it kind of shows why they were on top of the table. They never gave up and clawed their way back into it, which was a bit nerve-racking because it's sort of the same thing that happened to us last week.

"It was my wrong-doing [letting Macquarie get back into the game]. I looked at our bench and felt a bit sorry for a few of the boys and gave them a run. I think I then had too many of our starters off at once and they started rolling through the middle of us, scoring a few tries.

"I had to bring our starting team back on, but we held them out in the end. Just a couple of errors from me, not the boys fault. I was just trying to give them all a run."

Nyngan junior Sonny Knight again impressed for the Raiders and scored a double in the comeback while Dalin Smith and halfback Randel Dowling also crossed for the Dubbo team.

Five different players, including former Group 11 star Aaron Mawhinney, scored for St Pat's.

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