Bathurst Panthers to play five of first six games at home this season

Following the latest rework of the draw (required after the withdrawal of Cowra Magpies' PMP side and Wellington Cowboys' under 18s) Panthers will now play in Bathurst for five of their six opening matches of the 2023 campaign.

Compared to the original draw Panthers have just four games locked into the same spots.

They'll still travel to take on Dubbo CYMS in a tough opening round fixture against last year's grand finalists and they retain their round three derby against St Pat's as a curtain-raiser to Bathurst's NRL fixture (technically a home game for the Saints but played at Carrington Park).

Round four still sees Panthers face Orange Hawks but the match has been moved across to Bathurst.

The other game in the same spot will be their final regular season round meeting at Carrington Park with Mudgee Dragons - the team who knocked them out of last year's finals series.

The remainder of the Panthers' draw has undergone a complete overall.

Instead of a round two bye the team now welcomes Parkes Spacemen to a Bathurst venue (still to be determined).

It's a change that Panthers player-coach Jake Betts certainly won't complain about.

"It probably worked out better for us because to have a game and then a bye leading into a game against Pat's isn't ideal. You don't want to be underdone going into a local derby," he said.

"It's sometimes nice to have a run of home games as you head towards finals but it's definitely good to start off with a few in a row, that's for sure.

"It's nice still playing Mudgee last. It's always a fierce game. You always pencil that one down at the start of the year."

Panthers were originally scheduled to play the Magpies in round seven of the previous draw.

Betts said he emphasises with Cowra's situation and appreciates the effort that goes into piecing together a cohesive draw.

"It's disappointing to see. Cowra are a very proud club. It's got to be hard for them and I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision," he said.

"I can understand it. They're in a small town, and even in Bathurst we struggle to get numbers. I can only imagine what clubs like Cowra and Blayney have to go through.

"It's not an easy job at the best of times to put a draw together with all the teams we have in it, and then when a team pulls out it would be even harder. I'm don't envy those doing it.

"It's good to be able to start pencilling in our games."

The pre-season's been an encouraging one for Panthers.

The team learned that former two-time premiership winning coach Doug Hewitt will make himself available, when possible, to play with the club in 2023 and then went the squad went on to take out their own knockout tournament for the third year running.

"Doug's been upfront all the way through pre-season about the fact he'll be playing when he can, but just having him at training sessions has been massive for the team," Betts said.

"His presence is great because his resume speaks for itself. We've got a lot of younger blokes there, so it's good having him on board in that regard."

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