Brenton Horwood considered playing elsewhere this season.
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Relocating to Wyong with girlfriend Emily six months ago and continuing to work as an aircraft engineer at Williamtown, the 28-year-old thought his time in black and white may have come to an end.
But the Pickers forward could sense change in the air and decided to remain at Maitland for 2018.
“I did consider it [playing on the Central Coast],” the former Newcastle Knights reserve grader said.
“I spoke with Rip Taylor at the Wyong Roos at the end of last year because I was heading down here. And I just came to the realisation it was going to be too much work to be playing at that more elite level in NSW Cup and working at Williamtown with early starts and late finishes. I would just cook myself.
“But I just decided to stick with what I had at Maitland. There’s a lot of opportunities there. We were refreshing the club, playing on a new ground which was very inviting and it’s always been my home.”
The East Maitland junior made his senior debut at the Pickers in 2010 and was part of the club’s undefeated reserve-grade premiership.
The next year, aged 21, he graduated to firsts and helped Maitland defend the top-grade crown.
Since then Horwood has played NSW Cup with the Knights, Queensland Cup for the Easts Brisbane Tigers and even ventured to French Elite One Championship side Racing Club Alibi XIII.
He arrived home midway through 2016 and has been part of the Pickers’ ensuing campaigns.
This current one, producing three wins from four outings, shows promise at the redeveloped Maitland Sportsground but Horwood said it was difficult to compare with previous runs.
“It’s difficult to say,” he said. “Back then [2010] I could recognise we had a good thing going and we were really strong across the park. But obviously as a young fellow I had a lot of players to look up to.
“Now, as I’ve got older, I can see the club performing really well again and you can put that down to the quality of the coaching staff, the buy-in of the players and the new facility.
“I guess I can make the comparison that we’re here to win. There’s no doubt there any more, there’s a sense that a premiership is within our grasp.”
After missing the semis for five straight seasons, including two wooden spoons, the Pickers have accounted for Cessnock (36-0), Souths (26-6) and title holders Macquarie (34-20) in the opening few rounds and dropped just one game to Central (34-12).
He says first-year captain-coach Luke Dorn has instilled “purpose” in the group. Maitland meet Wests at Harker Oval on Saturday.
