![HOME ADVANTAGE: Maitland Blacks take on Southern Beaches at Marcellin Park this Saturday. HOME ADVANTAGE: Maitland Blacks take on Southern Beaches at Marcellin Park this Saturday.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/H4rQr3kwJCDkT9nukzGYK/12f02cf9-93bc-479e-be95-2fd352d05dab.jpg/r332_122_3929_1833_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Maitland Blacks face an important match against Southern Beaches at Marcellin Park this Saturday.
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The Blacks are looking forward to playing at home for the first time in five games, and coach Mick Hickling hopes the team can capitalise on its home ground advantage.
Hickling said the Blacks went “back to the drawing board” after losses in their two last games.
Last week they lost by 30 points to the Waratahs which followed a 37 point thumping by Hamilton.
Work has been put into the Blacks structure in defence as well as their attack around the edge of the ruck in the hope of getting back to their early season form when they beat University of Newcastle 59-0.
“We’ve gone away from what was working,” Hickling said.
Hicking said they have their eyes glued firmly on a semi-final appearance after falling short the past couple of years.
But he said Southern Beaches will be aiming for the same thing, sitting just four points behind them on the ladder.
Maitland are a distant third on 28 points behind leaders Hamilton (44) and Wanderers (41).
Not far behind Maitland are Merewether Carlton on 27 and The Waratahs on 26.
“This is a big week,” Hickling said.
“We can push the top three, [but] we need a solid performance.
“It’s going to be a tough game.”
The Blacks second-grade side will hope to continue their winning form against Southern Beaches this week.
Maitland are coming off three wins in a row, all being played away from home.
The team is sitting fourth on the ladder, well in front of fifth-placed University of Newcastle and only three points behind the Wanderers.
The third-grade team are also in red-hot form with three wins on the trot going into their game.
Holding on to the top spot on the ladder, Maitland have only dropped the one game out of nine so far.
Third-grade kicks off at 12.20pm, followed by second-grade at 1.40pm and first-grade rounds out the days play at 3pm.