If Northern Hawks coach Brad Tighe needed an example for his young players of the importance of working as a team then they got it on Sunday on the back of a 32-6 hammering by the Maitland Pickers.
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Missing a host of their back-to-back premiership stars, the Pickers ran in six tries to one as the next generation pushed for their place in coach Matt Lantry's plans for the coming season.
Tighe was a member of Lantry's 2019 premiership team at Western Suburbs which was filled with stars but played as a well-oiled machine.
Lantry has taken the same principles across to Maitland and progressed them further into what Tighe declares is the "best system at the moment in country rugby league".
The encouraging thing for Hawks fans is that talent wise the Northern squad contains almost equally as many exciting youngsters, but in the Newcastle Rugby League talent is only the starting point.
"We are a young squad, we're definitely talented enough around the park," Tighe said.
"We made silly errors and gave away cheap possession and teams like Maitland, which have the best system at the moment in country rugby league, they make you pay."
The Pickers got results on their first two attacking raids against the Hawks, but to their credit the Northern players fought back and had Maitland camped on their own line for several back-to-back sets.
But while the Hawks line was broken, the Pickers' remained intact and Tighe said it all came down to players being drilled on the systems of defence at every grade and knowing what they needed to do as a team.
"You couldn't knock the effort, because all the boys individually had a crack," Tighe said.
"But at this level if you don't put it together as a team it will be hard to win footy games.
"As a young squad that's what I'm trying hard to impress on them. To make sure that we are at training, practising the way we need to practise and then emulate that on the weekends
"We'll get back to the drawing board, we've got two weeks of decent prep and then we've got Maitland in the Magic Round so it's something to look forward to."
Local youngsters Ethan Ferguson and Timana Elers showed their class. Centre Ferguson, who played juniors for the Knights, came to the Hawks from the South Sydney Rabbitohs just after Christmas and Elers is a promising young half who plays SG Ball at the Knights.
Quincy Ross was again strong in the front row and Tighe believes he can be one of the best forwards in the comp.
Young captain Floyd Tighe keeps on getting better and Tighe believes he and the other mid-20 core of players including Newcastle Rebels rep Timanu Alexander, Lachie Williams, Henry Penn and Liam Walsh will have their games and maturity fast-tracked by working with 2024 recruit Randall Briggs.
"Randall Briggs is going to be a huge inclusion in the side as will his cousin Callan," Tighe said. "I feel he will really help these young blokes."
The Hawks also welcome back Tyler Randell and Cody Hancock for round one.
Michael Hartshorn
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
