After North Tamworth won their 37th consecutive match at Jack Woolaston Oval, with a 64-16 spanking of Narrabri on Sunday, a question could not be ignored: will this be an undefeated premiership season for the Bears?
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In establishing a 32-4 halftime lead, North Tamworth displayed a level of speedy ball movement that Narrabri had no answer to, and which puts the Bears in a class of their own.
And with new signing Josh Schmiedel providing their right edge with added firepower this season, to go with captain-coach Scott Blanch's lethal left edge, Norths are a more dangerous side than they were in claiming a fifth straight premiership last year.
In winning their fourth consecutive match to start the season, Norths have scored 264 points and conceded just 50.
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Commenting on the Bears' long winning sequence at home, Blanch said: "We don't talk about it but it's something pretty special for us to hold on to."
Against Narrabri, North Tamworth ran in 12 tries to three - with five of their players bagging a try double. They were second-rower Schmiedel, winger Luke Fisher, centres Richard Clegg and Andrew Moodie, and second-rower Jake McManus, who also booted eight goals.
Blanch said "we've got a lot of that footy in us" in relation to the Bears' dynamic first half. "We just have to find the right mix of it," he added. "Sometimes we can probably force that a little bit."
There was nothing positive to come out of the match for Narrabri, who have now lost two straight games after opening the season with a win over Boggabri.
They were lucky to finish the match with a full contingent of players, after their captain-coach, Brenton Cochrane, was given 10 minutes in the bin in the first half for punching Bears prop Shane Wadwell when he lifted a Blues player, somewhat innocuously, in a tackle.
Wadwell - on the ground with his back to Cochrane when hit - was left with a big welt over his left eye.
North Tamworth 64 (Jake McManus 2, Luke Fisher 2, Josh Schmiedel 2, Andrew Moodie 2, Richard Clegg 2, Brock Wadwell, Jeremy York tries; McManus 8 goals) d Narrabri 16 (Isaiah Adams, Jess O'Neil, Rob Condron tries; Josh Trindall, Blake Hilderson goals). Best and fairest: 3 Jake McManus (NT), Daniel Jobson (N), Scott Blanch (NT)
