Maitland head coach Matt Lantry will instruct his players to “enjoy the occasion” when the Pickers vie for their third NSW President’s Cup this weekend.
The Tooheys Newcastle Rugby League (Real NRL) champions tackle the St Marys Saints in the decider of the state-wide third-tier knockout competition at CommBank Stadium on Sunday 24 September.
The Pickers claimed the NSWRL’s northern conference (Denton Engineering Cup) while their Sydney-based rivals secured the central honours by collecting the Ron Massey Cup.
And, despite accounting for the Glebe-Burwood Wolves 17-16 (2020) and Hills Bulls 36-12 (2022), Lantry is wary of the threat the Saints’ pose.
“It’ll be our toughest test within the past four years without a doubt,” he said.
“I mean that respectfully to every other team we’ve played.
“But, I don’t think we’ve come up against a side that’s got a bigger physical presence than St Marys possesses.
“On top of that, they are a skilful, intelligent footy team.
“They’ve dominated the Ron Massey Cup quite convincingly this year, so our hands will certainly be full.
“However, in saying that, we’re quietly confident, too.
“We’ve had a look at a few things from their grand final and feel like there are some ways, which we can expose them.
“But, we also need to do a lot of things right.
“We’ll have to complete high and make sure we turn the ball over, on the end of our sets, in good areas.
“We don’t want to give away cheap field position.
“Christian Crichton’s very, very dangerous out of the backfield.
“So, where we give him the ball on kick returns is really important.
“And, because they complete well, we’ll need to be disciplined and execute our last play options to put ourselves in a good position to, hopefully, defend some of the shots that they’ve got in their arsenal.”
St Marys, with the likes of Crichton, Tony Satini and back-rower Joe Vaegaau in its ranks, put the cleaners through Wentworthville 40-12 earlier this month, while Maitland did likewise, 46-10, at the expense of the South Newcastle Lions at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Although, powerful forwards Harrison Spruce and Faitotoa Faitotoa will be missing from the Pickers’ line-up.
Joe Barber, Daniel Ticehurst and Ethan Edwards join the local squad.
“The President’s Cup is something we hold in very high regard,” Lantry told the Newcastle Weekly.
“To be crowned as the best amateur semi-professional club in NSW, that’s really important to us.
“However, the boys are building nicely.
They’ve dominated the Ron Massey Cup quite convincingly this year, so our hands will certainly be full.
Maitland coach Matt Lantry
“Training was way below any sort of standard last week, but that was to be expected (after a grand final win).
“We then challenged them a bit after Thursday’s session to front up this week with the right mindset.
“So, our prep has been better.
“We won the major competition we set out do to… the President’s Cup is just the icing on the cake, so to speak.
“It’s a fine line between going way too hard at them and setting them up for failure in regards to the preparation.
“Or, we just embrace in the week and really enjoy each other’s company, knowing Thursday night was our last training session on the Maitland Sportsground for 2023.
“We spoke about the season and what we’ve been able to achieve and what going down there and winning would mean to us.
“But, yeah, I sort of backed off the intensity a little bit to make sure it’s still a fun week, that we get to enjoy the occasion and be part of it.
“CommBank is a great stadium and it’s terrific to be showcased on NSWRL’s grand final day.
“I know when it comes to Saturday, and we do our captain’s run at the Centre of Excellence down there, it’s probably when the mindset will start to shift and the focus will lift.
“In the end, we’ll just back ourselves like we’ve down all year.
“And, if we get close to our execution that we displayed on (Real NRL) grand final day in that first 40 minutes, I’m really confident.
“However, if we’re off the pace, they’ve got plenty of power within their team to make you pay for your poor discipline and errors.
“It should be a fantastic match for everyone.”
- Maitland Pickers: Daniel Langbridge, Will Nieuwenhuise, Matthew Soper-Lawler, Gary Anderson, James Bradley, Chad O’Donnell, Brock Lamb, Jayden Butterfield, Alex Langbridge, James Taylor, Reid Alchin, Lincoln Smith, Sam Anderson; Luke Knight, Joe Barber, Mitchell Cullen, Daniel Ticehurst, Ethan Edwards
- St Marys Saints: Not available
NSWRL grand final program
Sunday 24 September at CommBank Stadium
- 10.45am: Gates open
- 11am: Presidents Cup – Maitland Pickers v St Marys Saints
- 1pm: Jersey Flegg Cup – Sydney Roosters v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
- 3pm: The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup – North Sydney Bears v South Sydney Rabbitohs
All three games will be broadcast on NSWRL TV via the NSWRL’s Facebook page.
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