The hosts lacked execution and discipline for a lot of the match-up and were guilty of looking wide too early a lot of the time and it showed as the Wombats took a 12-5 lead into half-time.

But as they have for the past two-and-a-half seasons, Emus came home with a wet sail to score 20 unanswered points in the second half and claim the win, which will keep the greens on top of the table with five regular season games remaining..

Emus head coach Paul Ringland said the performance did not quite match the team’s standards, but the team was pleased to come away with the win. 

The margin could’ve been much bigger had the Wombats not defended so well. 

They held Emus up over the line no less than four times during the 80 minutes.

“All the boys are rapt with that performance,” Mudgee skipper Adam Rayner said. 

“We had a lot of guys out so to be able to come to Orange and play that way is really positive.

“We knew it would be tough but I’m pleased how we played. 

“That result will go a long way to keeping morale up around the club.”

Emus nigh on blew Mudgee off the paddock in the opening 10 minutes on the back of a dominant scrum which Ringland lauded considering the side was fielding two fill-in props, one of whom was regular lock Sam McLean – he was monumental in the win.

But, against the run of play, the Wombats opened the scoring through lock Phil English.

Tom Green got the hosts on the board and back to level pegging at 5-all not long after on the back of a McLean line break but Emus’ glee didn’t last long as flanker Jack Marchinton was sin-binned just minutes after.

While he was on the sidelines barnstorming Wombats winger Daniel Niumata – his side’s best – crossed to give the Wombats a 12-5 lead, the margin stayed at seven until after half-time.

Emus began to gain the upper hand in the second half and took a 15-12 lead after Green completed his double, which Todd Freedman converted before nailing a penalty goal as well.

The fixture remained on tenterhooks for the next 10 minutes or so as Emus continually battered Mudgee’s defensive line, but continually turned the ball over through Wombats pilfers, knock-ons and penalties.

The turning point came when Emus fullback AJ Sykes found space and crossed in the right corner. 

Freedman nailed the conversion to make the gap 10 and then kicked a second penalty goal in the dying stages.

ORANGE EMUS 25 (Tom Green 2, AJ Sykes tries; Todd Freedman 2 conversions, 2 penalty goals) def MUDGEE WOMBATS 12 (Phil English, Daniel Niumata tries; Matt Lowe conversion)