MANLY and Gundagai great Cliff Lyons had a front-row seat as another potent Tigers playmaker destroyed Kangaroos at Anzac Park on Saturday.
In town to help Gundagai celebrate its 90th rugby league jubilee, Lyons relished the performance of James Smart as the Tigers hammered Kangaroos 40-0.
The youngest captain-coach in Group Nine for decades, Smart absolutely carved up Roos in the seven-tries to zip humiliation.
Running rings around the Roos defenders, Smart was completely unstoppable as Gundagai produced its most dominant display of the year to raise hopes of a drought-breaking premiership.
The Tigers have been without a Group Nine title since 1983, the year that lethal Lyons stamped himself as a Tigers star.
A decade later, however, Lyons had moved to Sydney to join Manly and create football history with the Sea Eagles.
One of a contingent of ex-Gundagai players to make the pilgrimage to mark the 90th year of rugby league in the town, Lyons sat with old footballing mates as Smart spun his magic on Saturday.
With halfback Smart in commanding touch, Gundagai toyed with Kangaroos from sensational start to finish.
The tone was set when Gundagai centre Mat Rose zipped over for the first try after only 114 seconds, but alarm bells were ringing when the Tigers led 22-0 after 22 minutes.
Taking their lead from Smart, the Tigers left Roos clutching at thin air as they swooped for four tries to look on target for a record scoreline.
As much as the tries dried up in the second half, Smart continued to cause the Wagga team unbelievable trouble.
In the first half, Smart scored a try with a couple of superb dummies and had a hand in two others.
After half-time there was no let up from the Tigers skipper as he punched holes in the Roos defences.
Later Tigers stalwart Mick Wheeler described Smart as the perfect player to give the team a shot at another taste of premiership glory.
Wheeler also lavished praise on Fijian stars Fetongi Tuinauvai and Menzies Seumanutafa, who played a huge part in the demolition of Roos.
“(Tuinauvai and Seumanutafa) are the best imports in my time at the club,” Wheeler said.
And it was hard to argue with the assessment of the astute football figure.
Front rower Seumanutafa made light work of the Roos forwards, making numerous line breaks, while Tuinauvai was just as dangerous out wide in the centres rather than at fullback.
Throw in second rower Bryan Roberts and five-eighth Chris Rose into the mix and Gundagai had more-than-enough firepower to give Roos a complete cold.
With two rounds left before the finals, Gundagai is right in the fight for the Group Nine crown, but the Tigers have to ensure Roberts stays in the same barnstorming form to push the case to the limit.
On Saturday Smart did the clever stuff, but Roberts cracked Roos open with his powerful charges and subtle offloads.
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