“We probably gave them too much start in the first half, that was the thing that came back to bite us - 16 points was just too many,” Hickman said.

“We got no bounce of the ball, we got no 50-50 calls and they had 18 sets and completed 17. It’s pretty hard to compete with that.”

It did not take long for St Pat’s to gain the ascendency in the opening exchanges.

Standing at first receiver, Hemsworth laid on a perfect pass for Dane Fisher to score the opening try after just three minutes.

Hemsworth, the Group 10 player of the year, then did it all himself 10 minutes later on the back of consecutive sets when he went from dummy-half and burrowed over.

In a game-long pattern he missed the kick, but it was clear Mudgee were up against it.

After a string of penalties, it was five-eighth Tim Holman’s turn to lay on a try from close to the Dragons’ line when he linked with a flying Nathan Corliss for a third try.

Mudgee fullback Jared Robinson looked to have pulled one back for the visitors but was held up and in a crushing blow, a Mick Armstrong break downfield and some good hands from Holman, Josh Laurie and prop Wade Judd sent Corliss over for his second.

After 20 minutes Pat’s were up 16-0 and the game looked like a potential blow-out.

A 95-metre movement started by Robinson again saw Mudgee desperately close but to no avail and it was only in the 38th minute that St Pat’s made an error.

They completed an astonishing 17 of 18 sets in the first half and quite simply could not have played a much better opening stanza.

Knowing they needed something special, Mudgee threw everything at the blue and whites in the opening minutes of the second half, including some fisticuffs.

Pivot Steve Lane had been well below his best all game and his frustrations boiled over as he lashed out at Corliss.

Matt Lawson also got involved and the pair were both given 10 minutes to cool their heels.

Things were escalating as Judd put an enormous shot on Cody Cafe which drifted high.

When Lane got back on the field he was a different player and having sweated on him all day, suddenly the Pat’s players hung off him like he was covered in spiders.

He scored a solo try with 25 minutes on the clock to get his side back in the game, and though Lawson looked to have hit back soon after his try was disallowed and the Dragons were still alive.

Hemsworth gave his side a buffer with a field goal with 10 minutes left but Mudgee regained from the kick-off and once more Lane turned from villain to hero for the Dragons when he grubbered and regathered to score when it appeared nothing was on.

With the final 10 minutes set up for a thrilling finish, Saints’ Heath Falkenmire and then Dragon Robinson pulled off brilliant try-saving tackles before Hemsworth took the margin to six with a second one-pointer.

Though Mudgee continued to throw everything at their opponents, it was yet another field goal - this time from Tim Holman from 40 metres out - which sealed the result.

“I think our blokes probably wanted it a bit more,” Grimshaw said.

He also spoke of the influence of Liz Scott, who spoke with the players about her late husband and club legend Dave prior to the match.

“It was pretty hard for Liz to do that, but you could hear a pin drop in the dressing room while she was talking so they were all switched on,” he explained.

ST PAT’S 19 (Nathan Corliss 2, Dane Fisher, Trent Hemsworth tries; Hemsworth 2, Tim Holman field goals) def MUDGEE DRAGONS 12 (Steve Lane 2 tries, Matt Stott 2 goals).