MOREE Boars first-grade created plenty of magic at Scully Park on Saturday when steamrolling Dungowan Cowboys 32-10 to notch their first Group 4 win for the season.

It was the result the Boars needed said coach Jamie Sampson, who’s also buoyed by the likely return of Chris Vidler to the fold.

Vidler called semi-retirement last year after playing a key role in Moree’s crushing 40-18 grand-final win against Boggabri Kangaroos.

Sampson, named last year’s player-of-the-grand-final, said the big prop could be back on the paddock as early as this Sunday when the in-form Boars travel to play Kootingal.

“We’ve got Chris Vidler returning,” Sampson said.

“He was semi-retired at the end of last year, but the itch never leaves with people like Chris.

“He’s a footy man through and though, and we’re very lucky to have him back on board,” he said.

This month also sees the return of lock Jack Durheim.

Durheim, who shares first-grade coaching duties with Sampson, has been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.

“Jack’s itching to get back as well,” Sampson said.

“He didn’t play against Gunnedah and he didn’t play on the weekend. He might have another two weeks off, but we’ll play it by ear and see how it goes,” Sampson said.

“He’s been resting it up pretty good, and we can’t wait to see him back on the paddock.”

Chris Vidler makes his return to the Moree Boars after calling retirement after last year’s grand-final win against Boggabri.

The Boars logged their opening Group 4 win for the season when they charged away with a 32-10 win over Dungowan, after going into the half-time break with a 16-point lead.

Tries to Lachlan McGrady, Alex Barker, Cameron Rodgers and Brent McDonald pretty much sealed the game for the Boars.

“We put 22 points on the board in the first half. It was a good win for us, and it’s great we got the two points on the ladder to start our season,” Sampson said.

Dungowan Fullback Oscar Turner grounded the ball in the dying minutes of the first half, and a perfect chip-and-chase to score under the black dot 10 minutes into the second-half from five-eighth Trent Taylor offered the hint of a comeback, but Moree Boars were simply too strong.

Second-half tries to Adrian Smith and Jake Tighe – both exceptional on the boot – sealed Moree Boars’ first win for the season.

Smith kicked four goals and Tighe converted his own four-pointer, scored after scooping up a dropped ball from forward Kurt Barton and charging over the line untouched.

Sampson said getting back to simple football and focusing on the positives made all the difference.

“We really played to our strengths in the first half. At training, we’ve been driving the emphasis on playing simple footy,” Sampson said.

“We really stuck to that in the first half and completed more sets, kicked the ball down and had some really good defence.

“We might’ve fell away a bit at the start of the second half, and made it a little bit tough on ourselves with the same little mistakes we’ve been making, like dropping the ball and not completing sets,” he said.

“But we really fought our way out of that rut, and had a run of the ball in the last 20 minutes.

“We’re a solutions-based team, so when the negatives do arrive we try to focus on the positives and do what we can to fix that as a team,” he said.

All players came though relatively unscathed, Sampson said, with no injuries recorded.

“There’ll be a few sore boys and a few sore bodies; it was a pretty physical game, but there’s nothing to worry about injury-wise,” he said.

The Boars again travel this Sunday to take on Kootingal Roosters at Kootingal Sports Ground.

“We’ve got a few boys coming back this week. Joe Wade returns after being sidelined with a concussion and Steven McIntosh is returning as well. He and his partner just had a baby last week, and Steven will be back in full force, which is good,” Sampson said.