Maitland’s try by wing Elliott Jennings in the left corner to take them within two points had also come after the siren and just five minutes after the Pickers had trailed 36-20.

The Pickers were awarded a penalty near the right hand corner with just four seconds on the clock. With no chance for error, Maitland took the ball back to the 20 metres and spread it with with pin-point passes on the line to find Jennings.

Maitland’s late charge was aided with a Central Newcastle player sin-binned with eight minutes on the clock after repeated penalties inside the Butcher Boys’ 20.

The penalties continued as Central continued to try to frustrate the Pickers’ last ditch effort to get the points or at least a draw. 

Maitland’s comeback started with Elliott Jennings scoring in almost identical circumstances to his try at the end, with the Pickers awarded a penalty on the right, spreading the ball until and incredible flick pass by captain-coach Luke Dorn found centre Josh Griffiths who in turn found Jennings with an open try line ahead of him.

Walsh landed the conversion from virtually on the touch-line, to leave Maitland trailing by 10 points with four minutes left.

From the kick-off two strong runs by Jaden Butterfield and Dane Tilse had the Pickers beyond their own 30m. In the next play Dorn convinced the Central defence he was sending the ball left only to turn the point of attack right and Walsh tore through the line before be pulled up just short of the 40m.

On the last tackle the Pickers again moved the ball from the right edge, but switched it back when they ran out of room for Dorn to pin-point a kick into the left-hand corner where Isaac Upton and Geordie Connelly were unguarded as Upton crossed.

Walsh was unable to convert, leaving the scores at 36-30 and with time ticking.

It’s Maitland’s third loss of the season to the Butcher Boys, but they will take heart from their incredible effort at the end to turn around what looked like following the blow out losses of the first two games.

But there are still lessons to learn, particularly in eradicating errors which gifted Central attacking opportunities to get back in the game after Maitland went to a 12-0 lead in the opening five minutes and a 16-6 lead midway through the first half with tries to Jennings, Dylan Clark and Shay Padberg 

Central ran in the next four tries to lead 28-16 at the break. They increased that lead to 34-16, before the Pickers scored through Clark to take the score to 34-20.