RUGBY UNION
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A BLISTERING final 20 minutes from Orange City, combined with a four-try performance from winger Sione Amone, gave the Lions a dominant 50 point victory over Parkes Boars in their round 10 Blowes Clothing Cup clash at North Parkes Oval on Saturday.
The Lions ran in five unanswered tries, three of which Amone scored, in the final period of Saturday's clash to claim the 57-7 victory and extend their lead at the top of the table, further cementing their premiership favouritism at the same time.
The Boars ran with the Lions for the opening 60 minutes, and looked the better side in patches, but Orange City's trademark never say die attitude and fitness levels prevailed in the bonus point win.
"I think it is fitness, we're playing a game that has a lot of width about it, and sooner or later it tells," Orange City co-coach Steve Hamson said.
"It was the same in our wins against [Bathurst] Bulldogs and [Orange] Emus, teams have been running out of puff and have only been able to go with us for so long.
"In saying that we don't do anything different in the last 20 compared to the first 20."
"When we won those two competitions in 2012 and 2013 we were the fittest side, and everyone has bought into that again," Mick Gray, the Lions' other co-coach, added.
"We've done a lot of hard work over the last month, and it's starting to show."
It only took two minutes for Orange City to assert its dominance when No.8 Tatafu Na'anuimotu barged his way over, only for the try to be disallowed thanks to a crooked lineout throw.
However, sharpshooting centre Mesui Lemoto got the Lions on the board three minutes later with a penalty goal.
With Parkes' scrum dominating, and defensive line holding strong, Lemoto caught the Boars unaware with a quick lineout throw to fullback Joe Lasagavibau, who put Amone over in the corner.
Lemoto's conversion made it 10-nil, and when Lasagavibau crossed five minutes later to extend the lead to 15 the floodgates looked set to open.
But the Boars held strong even though Orange City continued to batter their line, until prop Logan Brockmann burrowed his way over in the 38th minute.
Although Lemoto's conversion gave the Lions a 22-nil lead at half-time, the deficit would have only been 16 had Parkes five-eighth Warren Lowe not shanked two attempted penalty goals.
Parkes scored the first points of the second period through flanker James Peters after the two sides arm-wrestled for the upper hand for 18 minutes but it was all green and orange from then on.
Amone's second half hat-trick, along with tries to Na'aniumoto and Alifetei Wolfgramm in the final stages, sealed an easy win for Orange City, which, with Emus defeating Bulldogs, pushes the Lions further in front leading into the back end of the season.
"Joey Lasagavibau is playing fantastic footy, he's our smartest back out there," Gray said.
"Scotty Smith got through a lot of work in defence."
"Josh Maley made some telling tackles, and carried the ball really well too," Hamson added.
ORANGE CITY LIONS 57 (Sione Amone 4, Joe Lasagavibau, Logan Brockmann, Tatafu Na'aniumotu, Alifeleti Wolfgramm tries; Mesui Lemoto 5, Lasagavibau, Jake Davis goals, Lemoto pen goal) def PARKES BOARS 7 (James Peter try; Warren Lowe goal)