The Roosters were menacing in their 46-6 opening round defeat of the Magpies at Werris Creek on Saturday, with returning Kooty veteran Phil Beaton praising the club for laying "strong foundations" for success.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the first Group 4 action since Kootingal-Moonbi's 2019 grand final loss to North Tamworth, a good crowd turned up to David Taylor Park on a temperate and sunny autumn afternoon.
However, it soon looked like the Roosters might have too much firepower for the hosts as they raced to a 16-0 lead on the back of two tries to No 9 Kurt Hartmann - close-range efforts from dummy half - and a try to No 12 Ryley Mackay, who streaked down the left side of the field.
Hartmann was named Kooty's players' player.
It remained 16-0 at the break. But when Mackay and centre Liam Hatch conspired for a well-worked try to the former and then second-rower Josh Kevill strolled over, with both tries converted by No 7 Sam Taylor, Kooty led 28-0.
Read also:
At the final drinks break in the second half, Magpies player-coach Cody Tickle pleaded with his troops to show resolve, but they kept leaking points.
Roosters No 1 and captain Jordan Sharpe also bagged a try double.
It was not until the dying minutes of the match that Werris Creek finally troubled the scorer, with No 9 Dylan Porter scoring.
Veteran prop Beaton came off the bench on Saturday to make his first Group 4 appearance since 2018, when he played for the Roosters in what was their debut first-grade season.
The club's development was impressive, he said.
"They've got the foundations there, for sure, to build a good season," he said. "And there's a bit of depth as well with the reggies ... You can't just win it with 17 blokes: you're gonna need a good squad."
It was a great day for the Roosters: their reserve-graders won 62-6, their league-taggers prevailed 64-0 and their under-18s won 44-10.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News