No 6 Jordan Hamlin to steer Tigers in crucial Laurie Daley Cup match

But according to his coach, the Tigers' veteran under-18 mentor Darryl Rando, the No 6's speed is underestimated "a little bit".

Hamlin will look to duplicate his electric two-try performance, from the Tigers' 42-20 win over the Titans, when the side meets the Western Rams in a crucial final round Laurie Daley Cup clash at Farrer's John Simpson Oval on Saturday.

A win would see the second-placed Tigers advance to the semi-finals; a loss could result in them being knocked out.

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Hamlin's tries against the Titans included a 60m solo sensation in which he exposed the soft belly of the Titans' defence.

It followed an explosive touchdown in which he brushed off a defender and darted over from 10m out.

In his debut Laurie Daley Cup season, after moving up from the Tigers' under-16 side, the Farrer year 11 student was a footballer with "good ability", Rando said.

"He's not a big talker but he knows what we wants, and knows where he's gotta be," Rando said.

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He added: "Jordan's doing a good job. Everyone had a bit of a hiccup against Newcastle, and everyone's been back on song since then, and he's one of them."

The Northern Tigers responded to a 40-18 loss to the Knights at Aberdeen in round two - their only loss to date (Hamlin did not play) - with commanding displays against the Central Coast Roosters and the Titans the past two rounds.

The Knights, who lead the Northern Conference, play the third-placed Roosters at Wyong on Saturday. If the Knights win, it would not matter if the Rams beat the Tigers.

But if the Roosters win and the Tigers lose, the former would join the latter on six points and may leapfrog them into into second spot based on points differential.

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The top two teams from the Northern and Southern conferences advance to the semi-finals.

"It's a semi-final game for us," Rando said, adding that he was looking for his charges to get off to a quick start for a change, while also improving their completion rate.

"Our completion rate last week was only 50 per cent, and we scored 40 points," he said.

Tigers captain Logan Spinks - a year 12 Farrer student - said Hamlin was "a great player, with potential, and a great mate".

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