FORSTER-Tuncurry Dolphins claimed their fourth successive win in raising some harsh home truths at Taree Rugby Park and expectations of a long, hard winter for the Manning River Ratz.
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The Dolphins ran in nine tries to one in a 59-5 defeat of their old rivals as the Lower Mid North Coast rugby union competition separated into a two-team battle with the Wallamba Bulls extending their own unbeaten season with a 66-0 win over Old Bar at Nabiac.
Further afield, last year's grand finalists, the Gloucester Cockies, put behind them three successive defeats to enjoy "home on the range" rejuvenation at Gloucester Park in whipping the Myall Coast Mud Crabs of Hawks Nest, 68-7. Travel remains a bugbear for all teams.
In summarising the Dolphins' speed and dexterity of handling against Manning River's batch of "new bloods", one spectator's observation from the hill was: "It's like basketball!"
Outlining his team's plight with no less than nine first-season players in his squad, Jake Maurirere, the new captain-coach of the Ratz, cut a sorry figure as he limped along the touch line, midweek scans having proved his knee injury much worse than suspected. He requires a reconstruction.
Jubilation from the first scrum in which the Ratz enjoyed domination through Wayne Gahan's acid on the Dolphins' front row was short-lived. Thereafter, the Dolphins' forwards provided their rivals with a physical confrontation they have rarely undergone.
The big men of the Ratz pack, locks David Rees and newcomer Blake Howard and backrower Sam Harnett, toiled bravely along with flanker Nik Mylonas, but the Dolphins carried too many guns on the day, at the breakdown and out wide.
The Dolphins may have fielded a superior back row than this year's combination of No 8 Troy Haines and flankers Tom Homer and Brad Murray, but it is hard to recall when.
Haines is a local oyster lease worker, Homer a visitor from Wales and Murray a second year soccer-convert. Tireless and productive, they were hard men in the heaviest encounters.
Fresh from his introduction to Mid North Coast representation at the NSW Country championships in Armidale, Haines revelled in exposing gaps out wide, capitalising on the superb service of his inside backs of Liam Brady, man-of-the-match Matt Nuku and Mark Hagarty.
Complementing the Dolphins' attack, premiership-winning backrower Sean Hassett is back as outside-centre after a short absence.
Next Saturday's fifth round sees rugby roads leading to Peter Barclay Field at Tuncurry for the clash of the unbeaten teams, the Forster Dolphins against Wallamba Bulls. Old Bar are at home to Gloucester and Myall Coast host Manning River at Hawks Nest.
Forster-Tuncurry 59 (T Haines 3 M Hagarty 2 J Nicholson J Logan J Rosskelly B Murray tries; L Crozier 6 goals M Nuku goal) beat Manning Ratz 5 (M Gibson try).