NORTH Tamworth hammered a large nail into the Boggabri Kangaroos' premiership coffin at Jubilee Oval when the visiting Bears handed the home side a 72-point bashing.
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The Bears crossed for 12 tries to three in a mauling that has ended the Roos semi-final hopes with three rounds remaining.
They had hoped to make a late run for the fourth semi-final spot but their hopes were scuttled before the game when six players pulled out.
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A disconsolate Boggabri coach Shane Rampling "didn't want to talk about it" as he sat in the Boggabri RSL with club president Greg Haire.
"I don't want to go into it," he said.
"Just very disappointing for us.
Rampling added: "We didn't what team we had until after second grade."
While hugely disappointed Haire and Rampling refused to dwell on the stunning development, rather thinking ahead to the final three weeks of the first grade competition.
"We want to be a nuisance now," he said of their remaining opponents.
"There were positives though out of today.
"There were a few boys who got to step up and have a crack. Young Ash White was one. He was told he was playing first grade when he arrived at the ground and played well at five-eighth. Karl Wilson played a full game in second grade and then played well in first grade.
"We had to juggle the side around a fair bit and it's fair to say the boys were a bit shell-shocked when they ran on. Nic Millar and Matt Gillham played their guts out and I though Matt Avendano and Aaron Hobden had great games too.
"We knew how Norths were going to play, knew Scotty Blanch would skip out and turn Josh Schmiedel back inside but we just couldn't cope with them. We couldn't complete a set of six in the first 25 minutes and just had to tackle too much."
North Tamworth coach Brad McManus described it as a good win.
"I was happy with that," he said of the performance.
"I was able to give a couple of the boys a rest at the end too. I feel for Shane with him having six players pull out but we played well.
"It's a week to week thing for us. We know we have to keep that up next week when we play Moree at Moree."
He thought Schmiedel, who scored three tries, was outstanding and props Tom Woolaston and Ben Jarvis good as well.
"Tommy and Benny were great, got us going up the middle and Sherro (Mitch Sheridan) and Josh (Schmiedel) are also making a good combination on the right as well," McManus said.
First Grade: NORTH TAMWORTH 68 (Josh Schmiedel 3, Jeremy York 3, Tevita Peceli, Scott Blanch, Mitch Sheridan, Ryan Ingram, Dan Kelly, James Cooper tries, Jake McManus 10gls) d BOGGABRI 16 (Matt Gillham, Matt Avendano, Aaron Hobden tries, Robert Doolan, Ray Stahn gls) G4 B&F: 3 Josh Schmiedel (NT), 2 Nic Millar (B), 1 Mark Simon (NT).
Second Grade: MANILLA 96 (Cohen King 4, James Leeson 3, Shannon O'Leary 2, Adam Ruttley 2, Isaac Devine, Mitch Doring, Beau Harry, Lincon Brown, Dheran Knox tries, Doring 14gls) d BOGGABRI 8 (Darren Certoma try, Ray Stahn 2gls) G4 B&F: 3Shannon O'Leary (M), 2 Cohen King (M), 1 Darren Certoma (B).
Ladies League Tag: BOGGABRI 20 (Ashlyn Summers, Cloe Davis, Courtney Grace-Coggan, Holli Rodstrom, Annalise Martin tries) d MANILLA 4 (Sheena Ruttley try) G4 B&F: Cloe Davis (B), 2 Joan O'Leary (M), 1 Ashlyn Summers (B).
