Kurri trailed 16-0 at half-time before going down 26-12 to premiers Western Suburbs last weekend and will face a Maitland team brimming with confidence.

The Pickers started their 2014 ­campaign with an impressive 30-16 win over Cessnock and will be up for their ­second Coalfields Derby in six days.

Williams said despite it only being early in the season, the clash already had significant importance.

“It’s a must-win game for us,” he said.

“We’re coming off a loss and they’re coming off a win, we don’t want to get left behind.”

While the prospect of a derby under lights at the Kurri Sports Ground might make most visiting teams apprehensive, Williams believes the scheduling has ­hindered the Bulldog’s home ground advantage.

“A lot of people go away for Easter on the Thursday night, so I’m not expecting a big crowd,” he said.

“The scheduling is a bit poor, but we’ve just got to deal with it.”

Williams, who won three premierships in a row with Kurri during the mid-90s, said it was the kind of game he would like to be able to put the boots back on for.

“As an ex-player you’re always up for a game like this,” he said. “But it’s up to the players to get motivated.”

Williams said hooker Mitch Cullen was unlikely to back up from Saturday’s defeat after suffering an ankle injury, but would give him right to the end to prove his fitness.

The Bulldogs will also want to retain the Mercury Shield, which they won in the final round of last season with dominant 36-4 victory that saw them jump the Pickers into the top five.

The game will be telecast live on the Mercury website courtesy of BLive Streaming, with kick-off at 8.15pm.

Check tomorrow’s Mercury for both team lists and a Pickers preview for the Mercury Shield clash.