Maitland Pickers coach Matt Lantry is confident his charges will be “switched on” as they chase a piece of history this month.
The two-time Tooheys Newcastle Rugby League (NEWRL) defending champions accounted for the Central Coast Butcher Boys 40-12 in the major semi to book another grand final berth.
They’ll now meet the same opponent, or The Entrance Tigers, in the 2024 Denton Engineering Cup decider at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday 29 September.
And, while Lantry was delighted Maitland secured its third consecutive berth in the “big dance”, there were aspects of the side’s performance that left him dissatisfied.
“I’m proud of how they, after a little bit of time off, attacked through the first half,” he said.
“It’s also pleasing we’re in another grand final, we’re going to celebrate that moment.
“But, I was bitterly disappointed with our level of commitment towards the second period.
“We took shortcuts defensively and we were soft in contact.
“That was the disappointing part.
“We’ve got to hold ourselves accountable to the standards we set and ensure we don’t slip below those benchmarks, particularly at this stage of the year.”
With a weekend off after claiming the minor premiership, and another following their victory over the Butcher Boys, Lantry admitted he expected more from his troops.
“The decider will be our second match in a month,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.
“So, we needed to make the most of the Central Newcastle clash.
“To be fair to the boys, it’s not something I’ve seen regularly from them.
“I feel it was a conscious 28-0 scoreline decision to turn up with a bit of that soft underbelly in the second half.
“The job was done so to speak.
“That’s not disrespecting Charlestown.
“However, we probably knew that if we went through the motions, it was going to be enough.
“We need to have some real honest conversations about what is acceptable and what’s not… and make sure it isn’t delivered come grand final day.
“I’m sure it won’t be.
“Had the scoreline been 12-10 midway through the first half, we don’t have that soft mentality around things.
“But, we were looking to make a statement in that second period and really put the foot on the throat.
“I feel we missed an opportunity to do that.”
We need to have some real honest conversations about what is acceptable and what’s not… and make sure it isn’t delivered come grand final day.
Matt Lantry
No matter what occurs between the Butcher Boys and Tigers, who meet from 3pm at St John Oval on Sunday 22 September, the Pickers will face their third different rival in as many seasons.
Previously, Maitland accounted for the Macquarie Scorpions (2022) and South Newcastle Lions (2023) to claim the titles.
“Nothing changes for us,” Lantry said.
“We’ll prepare as if we were playing anyone in the competition now.
“It didn’t change from us tackling Macquarie through to Souths… and it won’t this year.
“The key thing is getting your own preparation right.
“Yes, we’ll have a look at our opposition and we’ll probably spend a bit more time on The Entrance just in case.
“If we’re playing Central Newcastle, our plan needs to be nailed down by the back end of this week.
“And, if we’re meeting the Tigers, we’ll nail that plan down soon.
“We went back and watched a lot of vision on the Butcher Boys in preparation for last week, across the fortnight we had off, and we’ll do the same.
“We’ll obviously view the Charlestown-Entrance game on Sunday, too.
“But, we’ll need to do a little bit of additional video on the Tigers, just to bring ourselves up to speed, if it’s them who goes through.
“That way we’ll feel like we’re prepared and able to pull a decent plan together.
“Then we can have a good, uninterrupted week and walk away confident that we’re ready to go and play a particular style depending on who it is.”
Tooheys Newcastle Rugby League
Preliminary final
Sunday 22 September (St John Oval, Charlestown)
- 10am: Under-19s, Lakes United v Wyong
- 11.30am: Reserve grade, Lakes United v Western Suburbs
- 1.15pm: Women’s, Maitland v South Newcastle
- 3pm: Denton Engineering Cup, Central Newcastle v The Entrance
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- Maitland players dig into their pockets for generous Sleapy’s Foundation donation
- Hunter product Isaac Heeney primed to answer Swans coach’s call
- ALW: Jets bolster their playing stocks
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