THE Lake Cathie-Bonny Hills Raiders Under 18s will enter the Group 3 rugby league season in commanding form, toppling the Taree City Bulls in a pre-season hit out on Sunday, 6 April.

The Raiders put on a dominant display right from the kickoff, outclassing the Bulls in a resounding 28-6 victory at Lake Cathie Sporting Complex.

The win capped off a strong pre-season campaign for the new-look U18 squad.

Training consistently throughout January, the Raiders entered the match well-prepared, leaving the Bulls struggling to keep up.

Young gun Angus Bowen was first to cross the line for the Raiders in the 17th minute.

Playing above his age division, Bowen drove through the defence like a wrecking ball.

Speedster Aiden Hardy was next to cross the tryline out wide, with the kicking skills of Isaac Lewis extending the Raiders’ tally and providing them with a 10 point lead going into the sheds.

The Raiders continued to exert their dominance in the second half.

Exploiting the Bulls’ lack of physical condition, the Raiders crossed the line another three times, with tries to Adam Drewitt, Logan Bes and Angus Bowen.

In the dying stages of the game Taree finally found the scoreboard through a Tashiem Abbott try and a successful William Lott conversion.

Bowen, who delivered a standout performance with two tries and fierce defensive play, was awarded the player of the match title.

Co-Coach Danny Broderick commended the team’s dedication to training and teamwork, while also identifying areas for improvement.

“It was great to get the first game out of the way, especially with a win,” said Danny.

“The boys have had a lot of training throughout January, putting in the hard yards and it showed today on the field.”

“Although we had the points on the board it was a tough game and has definitely given the team areas we will work on,” said Team Captain Tim Broderick.

“Angus had a strong performance, tearing up the defence and crossing the tryline twice.”

By Kim AMBROSE