The new-look Bears found a higher gear in the second half to thump Manilla 54-14 at Jack Woolaston Oval on an idyllic Sunday afternoon, in what was the Tigers' first top-grade match in many a year.

For 40 minutes, Manilla looked comfortably at home in the premier grade. They twice led in the first half and trailed 12-10 at half-time.

But after the break, North Tamworth ran in eight tries to one - the first seven unanswered - to show the 2019 reserve-grade premiers the standard required to be serious title contenders.

Norths' veteran centre Jeremy York has a reputation for scoring tries in bunches, and ran in four on Sunday.

Speaking post-match, Tigers captain-coach Mitch Doring searched for positives. His charges delivered a "gutsy" effort, he stressed.

"I think the quality of football is there," he continued. "It's just that we're lacking a bit of fitness to go with it.

"I give my boys full credit; I think our first half was perfect."

Manilla knew that if Norths were given "a sniff, they'd put us on the back foot - just like they did pretty much the whole second half", Doring added.

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The Bears - winners of the past six premierships - opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Tigers No 1 Isaac Devine failed to defuse a Scott Blanch bomb and No 9 Liam Ball was on hand to punish the mistake.

Manilla hit back six minutes later when Doring - a scheming No 7 - breached the defence inside Norths' 20m zone and scored a sharp try. He converted from in front: 6-4 Tigers.

A short while later, York scooped up a loose ball and raced about 20m to score out wide. Mitch Sheridan again missed the conversion: 8-6 Bears.

In the 23rd minute, Tigers No 3 Brad Way produced a one-on-one strip close to Norths' tryline and scored: 10-8 Tigers.

Norths regained the lead and never surrendered it when they did an excellent job keeping the ball alive attacking the tryline, before York supplied the perfect finish to grab his second try.

The home side struck first after the break when Ball excelled inside Manilla's 10m zone, with the livewire man of the match then linking with Blanch, who raced around under the posts.

Bears debutant and No 1 Adrian Graham added the extras - and the onslaught had begun.

York said: "That first 40 [minutes], Manilla actually stuck it to us pretty good. We sort of didn't expect it a bit." He added: "It was a really good hitout today."

NORTH TAMWORTH 54 (Jeremy York 4, Scott Blanch 2, Liam Ball, Livinai Tuicakau, Misaele Vakacacegu, Kobe Bone, Ben Jarvis tries; Adrian Graham 5 goals) d MANILLA 14 (Mitch Doring, Brad Way, Scott Berry tries, Doring goal) Best and fairest points: Ball (3), Doring (2), York (1).

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