Firstly, they managed to topple the competition leaders on Armidale turf. And secondly, they did it with just three reserves on the bench.

Tigers coach Reese Cosgrove attributes "basically hanging in there" the reasoning behind their 40-38 triumph.

"Throughout the year, all our games bar one have been either a four or six point game we have lost by," he said.

"Sometimes we have gotten the win and other times we have fallen short but we have always been thereabouts, other than probably that Moree game where we went down there."

In the mental tenacity it takes to beat the ladder leaders with 16 players, Cosgrove is hopeful it will set a precedent for their remaining two matches of the season with a semi-finals berth all but guaranteed.

"You find that blokes are made to stay on the field whereas they tend to milk it if you have got so many interchanges and have got got so many players on the bench," he said.

"I guess the players know our fitness will hold out in the end but you have just got to have that belief.

"After that win on the weekend I think they are slowly coming to realise 'we have got a bit of a shot here' and if we can get the win against Armidale and head to Old Boys day against Inverell knowing we have cemented a finals spot, we will be good."

Keeping that momentum will be key for Cosgrove's men with this year's competition anyone's game.

The finals makeup wasn't very clear until the most recent round 12 fixtures.

"How close the competition is, you drop two games and someone wins or gets an upset, it can change a lot of things," Cosgrove said.

"If you can win those two games, you are carrying that momentum into the finals."

Their momentum will be aided by the return of the missing players from Saturday as well as a few returning from injury.

"We had a couple out with Covid and influenza of put us a little bit short but hopefully we get everyone back on deck in the next couple of weeks and have a full squad to select from for the finals," Cosgrove said.

The league tag team was again scintillating.

They accounted for Narwan 52-4 despite having a player sin-binned.

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