Pickers coach Trevor Ott said Carter was in good spirits and promised his teammates he would be back playing before the end of the season.

Ott said Carter was on medication to remove the clot, which formed after what seemed a routine corked thigh in a training accident.

“He’s telling everyone he’s not finished for the season. He’s a tough competitor and has been putting in every week for us in a tough year,” he said.

“We are all relieved that he is on the mend.

“His leg blew up and was rock hard. He just had more and more pain and had to go to hospital.”

Carter’s injury will force another recast of the Pickers side when they travel to Townson Oval on Saturday to play South Newcastle.

George O’Brien will move from the centres to partner Pat Robards in the second row.

Maitland will also have a new halves partnership with Geordie Connelly moving to five-eight beside halfback Steve Waetford.

Cal Edwards will move to centre, in a move Ott hopes to stimulate Edwards’ running game.

Ott said Connelly had spent time at five-eight in the past two games and was familiar with the role having played their as a junior.

There is an injury cloud over Jayden Rosberg who pulled a calf muscle during warm-up last week.

If cleared fit he will be on the bench with Zeb Luisi. The remaining two positions will be filled on the day.

Ott said the Pickers’ defensive effort was good last week against Cessnock.

“I thought defensively it was good enough to win a footy match, but we had too many handling errors,” Ott said.

“We need to look at play a more direct style of footy to get us across the try line. We have struggled for points this season so we will work on a couple of plays.

“We got held up, dropped the ball over the line, you name it we found a way not to cross the line.”

”We are starting to get some of our backs on the field, we need that bit of strike power on the edges.”

MAITLAND PICKERS

The Kurri Kurri Bulldogs will chase their fifth win in a row when they take on Central Newcastle at St John Oval on Sunday.

Victory could see the Bulldogs jump as high as fourth place, with Cessnock Goannas (fifth) playing Western Suburbs (fourth) at Harker Oval on Sunday.

Kurri are sixth, one point behind Cessnock and two points behind Wests, on the ladder. They are the form side of the competition creating plenty of attacking opportunities on the back of their powerful forwards.

Injured playmaker Terence Seu Seu is still a week away, but Mitch Cullen and Hayden Grainger combined well in the halves. 

Justin Peterkin celebrates 300 grade games with Kurri Kurri on Sunday