The bombardment commenced from the opening whistle, with Urunga surging to a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime and amplifying their advantage with five unanswered goals in the second half.

This commanding performance serves as a formidable declaration to the rest of the league, following Urunga’s flawless preseason campaign where they clinched both the Challenge Cup in Nambucca and the Viking Challenge in Forster.

Urunga coach Trevor Martin was pleased with the momentum they carried from preseason.

“I was pleased with our performance on Saturday, it was important that we maintained the impetus we’d built during preseason and we clearly did that,” he said.

“As a coach I still see areas that we could improve, but overall we were solid.

“Sawtell always works hard for the 90 minutes and as always we appreciate and respect their approach.

“Prems have a bye this weekend but first division will play at Woopi so the focus for us for this week will be on developing that team and the depth in the Raiders squad as a whole.”

In other matches, the Coffs City United Lionesses showcased their prowess up north, securing a convincing 4-0 win against the Woolgoolga Wildcats.

Looking ahead, the Wildcats are set to clash with Premiership newcomers Orara Valley Dingoes on Friday April 19 at 6:30 pm at Clive Joass Memorial Sports Park.

Meanwhile, the Lionesses take on the Sawtell Scorpions at Forsyth Park on Saturday April 20 at 3:00 pm.

Urunga enjoys a bye week.

By David WIGLEY