THE PARKES Panthers have extended their unbeaten run to nine in the AFL Central West Tier 2 competition after a dominant 90-9 victory over the Bathurst Bushrangers Outlaws on Saturday afternoon in Parkes.
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It means the Panthers still have the astounding percentage of 1019 as they sit 12 points clear in the Tier 2 standings.
It wasn't a dominant start to the game by any means for the Panthers, with the Outlaws piling on the defensive pressure and putting Parkes on the pump.
Someone must have spiked the Panthers gatorade at quarter time though, because Parkes slammed home four goals in the opening six minutes on their way to a 6.4 second term.
Parkes midfielder and coach Mitch Stubberfield said they didn't exactly get off to the start he had envisaged.
"We were a bit quiet around the footy, we were getting plenty of it, but our decision making wasn't quite up to scratch; so we went into the second quarter aiming to lift the talk around the contest and the rest would take care of itself," Stubberfield said after the game.
And boy - it did take care of itself!
Midfielder Ethan Morton played like a man possessed, chalking up disposals at will and deploying himself as a human wrecking ball when the Outlaws had possession.
Ryan Alexander and Stubberfield were also prominent in the Panthers engine room, with a number of the goals in the second quarter coming as a result of clean centre clearances.
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It's stunning to watch when the Panthers get on a roll, but the Bushrangers did well to ensure, that despite trailing 55-3 at half-time, they could make it a much tougher scrap in the second half.
The ball use of the Panthers in the third and fourth terms wasn't at the standard they would have liked heading into the pointy end of the season - but there was no doubt for Stubberfield there is of course far more positives than negatives for his side.
"We made a few changes through each quarter trying different things with different players just to see what was going to work best for each player, and we had some good outcomes," said Stubberfield.
"Most pleasing thing as a team was to see our backs set up early and not get sucked into the contest...so when the ball got kicked out they were there to cut it off.
"Couple of things we can still work on, but looking good at the end of the season which is a positive," Stubberfield said.
Braeden Snow continued his strong goal kicking form, with four goals taking his season tally to 22, while Jonathan Morell was able to score three snags on his own.
With two rounds left in the season, for the Panthers it is all about ensuring the momentum generated by a, so far, unbeaten season, remains in tact.
They are set to take on the Bushranger Rebels and Bathurst Giants in the final two games as they look to defend their 2020 flag.
Parkes Panthers 12.18- 90 (Snow 4, Morell 3, Carte, Stubberfield, Alexander, Salau, Morton goals) defeated Bathurst Bushrangers Outlaws 1.3- 9 (Matheson goal)
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