Red Devils coach Dan Martin said Perrett was "Johnny-on-the-spot everywhere".

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Perrett's work off the ball to get into those scoring opportunities was "huge", Martin said. "His game play is very good to have back at our club," he added.

Perrett returned to Gunnedah midway through the 2019 season, after working and playing rugby in England for some two years.

This is Martin's second season as Gunnedah coach. Prior to that, he was the side's manager for several years.

He said the 2021 Red Devils had "greater depth and skill levels across the board" than the other outfits he had been involved with.

He added that the importation of players who had played at a higher level than Central North rugby had resulted in longtime Red Devils "having to lift" their games.

For Quirindi, it was back to reality with a thud. The Lions recorded a famous victory over Moree in the previous round.

Martin said the 62-5 scoreline "was not real reflective of the game".

Martin said Quirindi were a "top side" and potential finals contenders, which he relayed to Lions coach Tom Koerstz post-match.

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