Bathurst Panthers down valiant St Pat's 20-6 to make it a knockout treble

The duo came up with a pair of big plays in the final 10 minutes of the decider at Carrington Park to see Panthers post a 20-6 victory over a valiant St Pat's outfit.

In Hewitt's case it was a towering bomb that the Saints fumbled then six minutes later grubber which forced a line drop out.

As for Latu, who has joined the Panthers this season after a stint with CSU Mungoes in cup competitions, it was a pair of tries.

It helped Panthers snatch back momentum after Pat's had closed within four points of the lead.

It also meant there were plenty of smiles at full-time and plenty of volume when it came to signing the victory song in the sheds.

"Right across the park I thought we played well together, we gelled really well. There are things to improve on, but it was pretty pleasing," Panthers captain-coach Jake Betts said.

"I thought all our new guys did well and there were a few surprise packages, we used our whole 20. I thought Andrew Bennett was really good when we used him in the second game."

While Panthers advanced to the final off the back of a 28-6 win over Orange CYMS and 12-all draw against Mudgee, local rivals St Pat's had been impressive too.

But the Saints' wins over Lithgow 24-4 and Mudgee 6-4 in the pool stage, did come at a cost.

Their new halves Willie Wright (Achilles tendon) and Noah Griffiths (dislocated shoulder) were injured in the win over Mudgee, and they lost second rower Harry Reicher as well.

It forced a reshuffle for the decider and while Haydon Bolam - the 2022 Group 10 player of the year - did his best to steer around the Saints, the loss of that trio showed.

Still, captain-coach Zac Merritt was proud of the effort his men produced across the day.

"It was good for us to have that sort of stuff to test us out a bit. I mean obviously you want to win, but it wasn't about that, it was about getting legs under us and some big minutes in the middle," he said.

"We fought back into it there and came up with an error right at a crucial moment and Panthers, yeah they compete for everything, they always do well in their home knockout.

"Obviously you want to win, but overall it was a good day."

READ MORE: Kennedy scores his first hat-trick, but will he score a contract extension?

READ MORE: Saints pay a half price and lose O'Neill as well as injuries hit hard

READ MORE: Langdon scores magic double, but Saints sink the boot into his Panthers

The final, which was split into a pair of 25 minute halves, was physical throughout even though the temperature hovered around 30 degrees.

Both sides had the chances early, but it wasn't until seven minutes out from half-time that the first points finally came.

It was another of Panthers' CSU recruits, second rower Zac Hunt, that scored them thanks to firstly a line break from Malik Blenman then a step and fend once he had the ball in his arms.

Five minutes later Panthers were in again, and this time it was Betts as he steamed onto the ball then straight through the Saints to score between the sticks.

Josh Rivett converted to make it 10-0 at the break.

With Hewitt's right edge combination with Hunt proving dangerous, new five-eighth Nick Tilburg asking questions of the Saints defence, and hooker Hudson White making handy yards around the ruck, things were looking good for Panthers.

But as is to be expected from a Bathurst derby, the Saints responded to pressure by stepping things up.

Four minutes into the second half after Matt Beattie scored and landed the following sideline conversion, the Saints were back in it at 10-6.

Prop Nic Booth and lock Luke Single continued to take multiple carries in a set, while Jackson Brien and Lee McClintock combined to test Panthers' left edge defence.

However, Betts' men held strong in defence then responded with Latu's double to take the spoils.

It was the third year in a row Bathurst Panthers have their own pre-season tournament, adding to their 38-0 triumph over Mudgee Dragons in last year's final and 24-4 victory over Orange CYMS in the 2021 decider.

It was also the 10^th Bathurst Panthers Knockout title overall for the club.

But as good as pre-season success is for morale, Betts knows bigger challenges lie ahead in the second edition of the Peter McDonald Premiership.

"It does feel good, we'll enjoy the night, but it's just a trial, it doesn't mean nothing. We've got another trial next week and then we'll work towards Dubbo CYMS in round one," he said.

"It was really good to win and try out some new combinations, but as I said, it's just a trial."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: