The best month of the year kicks off in Mudgee on Saturday when the Dragons play host to Lithgow Workies for the fourth versus fifth, elimination semi-finals at Glen Willow.

It’s the mouth watering prelude to Sunday’s main event, the qualifying semi-final between a red-hot Bathurst Panthers and an Oberon outfit determined to prove it belongs on the same level.

All the while a bumper lower grade undercard will be in full swing as sides fight to keep their seasons alive in Mudgee and those in action at Bathurst vie to face their respective minor premiers in a week’s time at Wade Park.

Finals time … bring it on.

Saturday, August 19:

DRAGONS: 1 Nathan Orr, 2 Jared Robinson ©, 3 Lee Hicks, 4 Corin Smith, 5 Andy Laurie, 6 Sam Wooden, 7 Tim Condon, 8 Nick Harvey, 9 Ben Thompson, 10 Hamish Bryant, 11 Ethan Butler, 12 Nathan O'Brien, 13 Todd Munn; Bench: 14 Kurt Gudgeon, 15 Aidan Woods, 16 Andrew Warwicker, 17 Jack Beasley. Coach: Peter Hickman

WORKIES: 1 Keelan Bresac, 2 Brent Brogan, 3 Greg Alderson, 4 Blake Sheppeard, 5 Aaron Kelso, 6 Brendon Van Veen, 7 Eli Felton, 8 Chris Rhodes, 9 Harry Bender, 10 Ryan Jervis, 11 Mitch Case, 12 Ben Picman, 13 Corey Willmott. Coach: Chris Rhodes.

Referee: Billy Greatbatch.

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CYMS: 1 Zac Rue, 2 Alex Fisher, 3 Jayden Fahey, 4 Andrew Hopkins, 5 Ryan Moore, 6 James Mortimer, 7 Will Petrie, 8 Dave Stelling, 9 Sam Hill, 24 Dan Tietzel, 21 Jay Mawhinney, 12 Jai Prevett, 13 Adam Stanford; Bench: 14 Tom Hill, 15 Kyran Bubb. Coach: Kyran Bubb.

WORKIES: 1 Nick Miller, 2 Pauli Kunawave, 3 Liam Walsh, 4 Ben Glasson, 5 Micheal Rennie, 6 Josh Jones, 7 Steve McMurtrie, 8 Steve Lang, 9 Connor Legge, 10 Sam Rushworth, 11 Riley Allan, 12 Jack Kable, 13 Andrew Bain; Bench: 14 Darcy Allan, 15 Joe Inzitari, 16 Peti Vayakunuwu, 17 Trevor Wilson, 18 Byron Wilson, 19 Ryan Evans. Coach: Joe Inzitari

Referee: Chris Redding.

BEARS: 1 Ryley Oborn, 3 Morgan Fuller, 4 Brad Cheney, 4 Aaron Wells, 6 Dion Jones, 7 Dale Jones, 8 Ethan Coyte, 9 Tyler Hobby, 10 Pat Duggan, 11 Jordan Hobby, 12 Joey Hobby, 13 Brad Baker; Bench: 14 Jeremy Hunter, 15 Brandon Rossi, 16 Ryan Hunter, 17 Jai Kelly, 18 Matt Tarora, 19 Dudley Shillingsworth. Coach: Richard Hobby.

DRAGONS: 1 Billy Carberry, 2 Will Brown, 3 Harry Beasley, 4 Matt Perring, 5 Tim Newton, 6 Tom Burke, 7 Lachie Hill, 8 Zac Buchanan, 9 Brayden Lane, 10 Jarrod Cooper, 11. Mitchell Harvey, 12 Gus Buckley, 13 Ryan O'Connor; Bench: 14. Drew Cini, 15 Jake Hellergers, 19 Dylan Simpson, 20 Sam Maher. Coach: Jono George.

Referee: Nick Lander.

BEARS: 1 Sophie Stammers, 2 Jess Toohey, 3 Georgia Calub, 4 Holly Hopkins, 5 Laura Funnell, 6 Grace Mooney, 7 Liv Bird, 8 Holly Uhr, 9 Courtney Simmons, 10 Laura Reid, 11 Casey Edwards, 12 Georgie Hobby, 13 Natasha Hobby; Bench: 14 Jess McLean, 15 Abby Stammers, 16 Katie Baker, 17 Holly Farr, 18 Lucy Nixon-Walker. Coach: Steve Mooney.

WORKIES: 1 Shannon Legge, 2 Lillie Healey, 3 Kayla Nugent, 4 Tiarne Roots, 5 Hanna Healey, 6 Roxsanne Van Veen, 7 Dayna Stockton, 8 Tanya Boza, 9 Jade Cameron, 10 Chrissie West, 11 Ebony Brown, 12 Tiffany Willmott, 13 Madi Haddon; Bench: 14 Tiana Anderson, 15 Tylah Godden, 16 Keely Haddon, 18 Sharni Channing, 20 Melanie Bright. Coach: John Legge.

Referee: J Hughes.

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Sunday, August 20:

PANTHERS: 1 Jeremy Gordon, 2 Brayden Cassidy, 3 Blake Lawson, 4 Jye Barrow, 5 Kade Barrow, 6 Claude Gordon, 7 Doug Hewitt, 8 Brent Seager, 9 Nick Loader, 10 Simon Osborne, 11 Blake Seager, 12 Jack Siejka, 13 Jake Betts; Bench: 14 Jarrod Seager, 15 Kyle Byrnes, 16 Jed Betts, 17 Joey Bugg. Coach: Todd Barrow.

TIGERS: 1 Blake Fitzpatrick, 2 Matt Ballinger, 3 Abel Lefaoseu, 4 Jackson Brien, 5 Tyler Hughes, 6 Luke Branighan, 7 Anton Wereta, 8 Dave Sellers, 9 Luke Carpenter, 10 Jake Dawe, 11 Mike Ingwersen, 12 Cody Godden, 13 Matt Wakefield; Bench: 14 SioneFotu-Moala, 15 Trent Rose, 16 Tui Oloapu, 17 Nathan Booth. Coach: Luke Branighan.

Referee: Dale Harding.

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TIGERS: 1 Josh Rivett, 2 Senio Lefaoseu, 3 Jayden Fagg, 4 Dallas Booth, 5 Jarad Ceserone, 6 Glen Stapleton, 7 Sam Gascoigne, 8 Brian Maher, 9 Caylib Marsten, 10 Nathan Booth, 11 Bailey Rogers, 12 Kevin Lane, 13 Craig Berry; Bench: 14 Ben Williams, 15 Trent Guihot, 16 Sione Fotu-Moala, 17 Damien Stapleton, 18 Matt Bradbury, 19 Lochie Gilmour, 20 Celestino Fong, 21 Kane Arriolla, 22 Joe Rich, 23 Jamal Assaf, 24 Cody Shaw. Coach: Dallas Booth

ST PAT’S: 1 Kurt Norton, 2 Bobby Forrest, 3 Adam Morton, 4 Jack Grant, 5 Bailey Waldron, 6 Chris Osborne, 7 Shannon Peters, 8 Rhys Frame, 9 Jared COlling, 10 Brodie Samuel, 11 Harrison Jones, 12 Nick Millar, 13 Jack Mackey; Bench: 14 Jack Finn, 15 Mick Godfrey, 16 Dale Liva, 17 Chicka Booth, 18 Pat Boatswain, 19 Kurt Hancock, 20 Bryton Thackery, 21 Mackenzie Jones. Coach: Rhys Frame.

Referee: Kevin Burke.

ST PAT’S: 1 Adam Booth, 2 Lachlan Dagg, 3 Michael Latu, 4 Tye Siaskisoni, 5 Dylan Dukes, 6 Connor Naylor, 7 Zach Ashcroft, 8 Luke Ayoub, 9 Nik Booth, 10 Riley Cheshire, 11 Rylee Law, 12 Bailey Ackroyd, 13 Luke Bain; Bench: 14 Pat Clarke, 15 Max Campbell, 16 Blake Hadjipetros, 17 Riley Seaman. Coach: Chicka Booth.

PANTHERS: 1 John Bird, 2 William Hargas, 3 Finlay Grabham, 4 Cody Craib, 5 Matt Cole, 6 Adam Fearnley, 7 Nicholas Tilburg, 8 Koen Gillespe, 9 Eli Sharwood, 10 Matt Hodges, 11 Cooper McDaid, 12 Zac Hunt, 13 Andrew Bennett; Bench: 14 Ty-Lee Simmonds, 15 Hunter Siejka, 16 Brayden Burke, 17 Bradley Fearnley, 18 Braydon Wicks, 19 Malik Blenman, 20 Robert Brown, 21 Tyler Hodges, 22 Tyrone Locke. Coach: John Fearnley.

Referee: Bryce Hotham.

PANTHERS: 1 Amy Hewitt, 2 Brooke Wardle, 2 Stacey Elvy, 4 Jean Wicks, 5 Mel Hodges, 6 Monique Christie-Johnston, 7 Jess Hotham, 8 Mandy Hotham, 9 Nailani Lang, 10 Emma Miller, 11 Claire Woolmington, 12 Emma Duke, 14 Shannon Beale, 16 Sarah Walsh, 17 Georgie Betts, 18 Hannah Wardle, 19 Harriet Messner, 20 Stacey Johnstone, 22 Gabby Bugg. Coach: Monique Christie-Johnston.

ST PAT’S: 1 Sarah Watterson, 2 Meredith Jones, 3 Candice Boggs, 4 Elise Woods, 5 Jess Scadding, 6 Karah Armstrong, 7 Mish Somers, 8 Nicole Schneider, 9 Riane Barton, 10  Amy Copping, 11 Emily Rhynehart, 12 Maddy Boyce, 13 Bronte Emanuel; Bench: 14 Caitlin Reeves, 15 Kate Allen, 16 Jakiya Whitfield. Coach: Mick Armstrong.

Referee: Nathan Blanchard.

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