With superstar recruit Latrell Mitchell leading the way, Walgett Aboriginal Connection (WAC) eliminated the defending champions in a blockbuster opening to the Koori Knockout on Saturday morning.
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South Sydney great Mitchell joined former NRL players Ben Barba, Joel Thompson and George Rose in the WAC side which scored a hugely entertaining 16-6 win over the hosts of the 50th edition of the knockout, the South Coast Black Cockatoos.
Barba and Mitchell combined to great effect, with the former scoring the all-important second-half try which put WAC in front before the latter put the icing on the cake with a four-pointer right on full-time.
After being dealt what some have called "the toughest draw in knockout history", WAC captain-coach Matt Rose said winning the marquee opening round fixture gave his side a real boost.
"It was a normal first game for Walgett," he said.
"We always grind out a win in the first game and hopefully we've blown out all the cobwebs and we kick into gear in the morning. Looking across the park, we look pretty awesome."
As a six-time champion of the Koori Knockout and with a star-studded squad in place, WAC entered the 2022 edition of the tournament as one of the top contenders but the Cockatoos started the weekend with dreams of back-to-back knockout victories.
The hosts - with a huge amount of home support at Bomaderry behind them - started the better on Saturday morning, and could have led more than 6-0 at half-time after WAC produced a sloppy and ill-disciplined performance in the opening 20 minutes.
Things changed in the second half though and after breaking through immediately after the restart they started to get on the front foot.
Mitchell and Barba - who started the match playing in the centres - worked their way into the game more and started to combine on the left edge and slick attacking play and quick hands in the area of the field helped ensure the win.
We're like family with Trell and it's wonderful he's come along and joined us.
- Matt Rose on Latrell Mitchell
Having only had one training session together after meeting up on the south coast on Friday, Rose said the opening match was always going to be a huge challenge for his side.
"Don't get me wrong, as you go on it's a different type of hardness that comes into play but that first one, when you've first come together and you need to click, and you've got to get it all right, it's a really tough game," he said.
"We've got a good, strong squad and it's always nice to have those superstars that love coming back. People like Benny Barba and obviously this year having someone like Latrell Mitchell is pretty cool."
Mitchell has previously played for the Taree Biripi Sharks at the Koori Knockout but is represented by the Rose brothers and their No Limit management company.
His addition to the WAC lineup this year has provided a huge boost for the side while his presence at Bomaderry created a huge amount of excitement.
"We look after Trell and we're very close. We're like family with Trell and it's wonderful he's come along and joined us," Rose said.
"Just the fact Latrell Mitchell is playing at a knockout is special, let alone that he's playing with us."
A "unique" challenge awaits WAC first-up on Sunday as they take on a Bundjalung Baygal Warriors side containing Mitchell's fellow Souths star and No Limit player, Cody Walker.
"That will be interesting tomorrow," Rose said with a laugh.
Bundjalung is also considered one of the top teams at this year's knockout while the winner of that match will likely meet another powerhouse of the competition, the Newcastle Yowies.
The Bourke Warriors - featuring NRL speedster Josh Addo-Carr and captained by Dubbo's Alex Ronayne - are also on that side of the draw and could await in the quarter-finals.
The Warriors were one of the most impressive sides in Saturday's opening round as they scored a simply dominant 72-0 win over Maitland 1.
Rose said the quality in his side of the draw is "insane" but added he had no doubt WAC has what it takes to score a seventh Koori Knockout championship.
"We've got the belief," he said.
"We've never won a knockout without it being hard for us. I just told the boys it won't be any different.
"We've got to take it game by game and we know what it will be like ahead but the first thing is we've got that game tomorrow."
Sunday's action at the Koori Knockout will be shown live on NITV.