Well, that was quite a statement.
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With no games and only four training runs together, the Greater Northern Tigers performed like a well-rehearsed orchestra as they opened their Country Championships campaign with a 48-10 drubbing of the Newcastle and Maitland Region Knights at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday afternoon.
When smooth-running No 1 Bailey Taylor injected himself into the backline to spark a slick backline move that resulted in bulked-up winger Dylan Lake scoring in the third minute, the Tigers were on their way ... sort of.
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The Knights struck back five minutes later when colossal prop Aden Jenkins crashed over. Jack Matheson converted and the Knights led 6-4.
But from there on Greater Northern provided the snap, crackle and pop beneath benevolent cloud covering, as the visitors fizzled.
With the Tigers' spine of Taylor, No 7 Mitchell Doring, No 6 Liam Foran and No 9 Scott Blanch whistling like a turbo, on a renovated and lush ground with a shiny new scoreboard, the home side rebounded quickly via a converted close-range try to prop Matthew Hay: 10-6 to the Tigers.
Greater Northern then pinned their ears back.
First, a scheming Doring created something from nothing attacking the Knights' tryline - before linking with Taylor, whose jinking run had too much mustard on it for the defence.
Doring slotted the simple conversion: 16-6.
In the 20th minutes, Blanch initiated what turned out to be the try of the match. He took off deep in his own half, found No 3 Ronin Hadden, who flew down the right edge and then starred in a delicious one-two routine with Lake that sent the centre over for the Tigers' fourth try: 22-6 after Doring's conversion.
Greater Northern were on a roll now, with Foran - the former NRL player, the older brother of Manly playmaker Kieran Foran, and the new Denman captain-captain coach - maintaining the high standard with a beautifully weighted kick from a scrum that sat up nicely for Taylor to accept and then race away and score. Doring converted: 28-6 at half-time.
Sporting an eye-catching blond ponytail, an otherwise dark-haired KC Edmonds ensured Greater Northern kept their foot on the Knights' throat when he crashed over to draw first blood after the break - No 11 on his back, and 32-6 the new scoreline.
In the 56th minute, Lake bagged a double when he backed up Hadden's break: 36-6.
Four minutes later, No.14 Mitchell Sheridan charged on to a Blanch pass close to the Knights' tryline. Doring converted to make it 42-6, then scored a runaway try in the 72nd minute and added the extras: 48-6.
Knights second-rower Tony Teleafoa posted a late try.
Doring said it was "a great result".
"We know we had the talent," he said, adding: "We have an excellent five-eighth in Liam Foran. He's eyes-up footy, and he's been around for a long time. So he knows what he's doing."
Doring continued: "At the end of the day, we just got off the back of our forwards and the points come. Yeah, it was good work."
TIGERS 48 (Bailey Taylor 2, Dylan Lake 2, Matthew Hay, Ronin Hadden, KC Edmonds, Mitch Sheridan, Mitch Doring tries; Doring 6 goals) d KNIGHTS 10 (Aden Jenkins, Tony Teleafoa tries; Jack Matheson goal).
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