2023 Laurie Daley Cup: Northern Tigers beat Central Coast Roosters 34-12

The wily Tigers mentor - a coach since 1994 - produced a selection masterstroke that sparked the side's best performance of the Laurie Daley Cup: a must-win 34-12 road defeat of the Central Coast Roosters on Saturday.

After starting the match with a brand-new front-row, the Tigers plugged the defensive holes that had marred their opening two matches, while maintaining their offensive bite.

They will now take considerable momentum into their round four encounter against the Northern Rivers Titans at Scully Park next Saturday. With two rounds remaining in the prestigious annual competition, the Tigers have two wins and a loss.

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The under-18 outfit needed to beat the Roosters - who had a win and a loss in the opening two rounds - to stay in the finals hunt.

With that in mind, Rando responded to his side's 40-18 loss to the Newcastle Maitland Region Knights in Aberdeen last weekend by promoting hooker Jack Foley and props Lachlan Bonnell and Zane Groves. They had started on the bench the week before.

"We sort of put Jack in there to shore up the middle defensively," Rando said, adding that the move allowed him to utilise, off the bench, the pronounced offensive threat of regular dummy-half Talon Harrington.

"He's a lot more craftier with the ball [than Foley]," Rando said, "and brings the forwards on to the ball really well."

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Harrington scored the third of the Tigers' six tries, a 32nd minute effort that extended the lead to 18-4 after Kaleb Hope's conversion. Centre Hope, who hails from Glen Innes, crossed for three tries.

"It doesn't matter where you play that kid," Rando said of Hope, "he's probably one of the best players every week."

Rando also praised Gabriel Stafa and Brady Roser, the side's starting props in rounds one and two. He said they "really got us going forward" when they came on. Stafa crossed in the 24th minute.

On debut, winger Oscar Atkin was also one of the Tigers' best, Rando said, as was centre Jackson Smith, who was on debut in the starting side.

Second-rower Dylan Keane also shone, the veteran coach added, while winger Keandre Johnson-Vale was "always very safe".

The Tigers led 6-4 at Morry Breen Oval, when Hope converted his own 19th minute try, and they were never headed again.

It was 18-4 at half-time.

"They put in a really good effort today, especially defensively," Rando said, adding: "We just spoke about it before the game, about drawing a line in the sand and having a crack. And the boys did."

In the earlier game at Morry Breen Oval, the Roosters beat the Tigers 28-4 in the Andrew Johns Cup. It was the Tigers' first loss this season.

The home side led 10-4 at half-time, and scored five tries to one.

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