It was just as you would want your local derby, tough as can be and going down to the last minute ... but in the end it was the Kurri Bulldogs who triumphed at home over Maitland in an 18-16 thriller.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
To be fair, the Bulldogs had the better of the game and deserved the points.
But a spirited Maitland comeback in the final 15 minutes with two tries - both converted from the sideline - sure made things interesting.
By then the crowd was really into it in a match that for so long was Kurri's to take, but was now suddenly on a knife-edge. And even a last-play chip kick from Maitland could have paid off with the Pickers regathering but unable to find support players.
The forward battle was immense, with the body contact clearly heard from the sidelines. But if there was a difference, it was the clever halves of Kurri - the veteran Jade Porter at halfback, and will-o-the-wisp five-eighth Jarom Haines.
Their ability to point their side around, to challenge the Maitland line and to find space to runners out wide, was the tipping point.
"Jarom's just back from the Rebels and I hope to goes on to play for the Pioneers country team," Bulldog coach Ron Griffiths said. "He played really strongly. It's a maturity thing with him. He's getting to the stage where he can take a game over. He showed that in the first half. "
Maitland's halves on the other hand, despite working hard, couldn't stamp their authority - five-eighth Frazer Price, in particular, had a tough day. His kicking game was off, coupled with the occasional pass that put his runners under pressure.
The tough win pleased Griffiths more than just the two points.
"I thought it was a polished performance," he said. "We were there for each other as a team, and I've been looking for that. We defended our line strongly too.
"Even at the end when Maitland threw everything at us, I thought we hung in. It became a dogfight, but we're good at that."
Maitland coach Luke Dorn will have liked a lot of what he saw too. His side had loads of energy and the forwards, led by prop Sam Anderson who was in everything, didn't give any ground.
But their attack, especially inside the Bulldogs quarter, lacked the direction and cutting edge needed.
Later in the game when centre Geordie Connelly and Isaac Upton started to probe around the ruck, the Pickers looked a different side.