Determined Pickers turn the curse of rock-hard Coronation into an asset

He'd gone to the ground through the week to check the playing surface on the appropriately nicknamed "The Rock".

"It was so hard, so dry with the cricket pitch in the middle," Lantry recalled.

Atmosphere? Just like the moon .... none.

"We knew Maitland didn't want to play there, and when I saw it I knew my guys wouldn't either," he said.

So, in an unusual twist, he had his players strapped and dressed at their home ground Harker Oval, before boarding the bus to Coronation.

"We jumped off, warmed up, ran out and played. Even at half time I kept them out there on the field."

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After the game a quick shower, back on the bus and out of there, job done.

It's a memory that has shaped how he wants his Maitland Pickers side to greet opposition teams this season.

"Coronation was confronting, but Maitland Sports Ground is certainly not," he said.

"It's a sensational playing surface and has first class facilities, as good as any ground in regional NSW. Any team would be happy to play there.

"But we don't want opposing teams looking forward to coming here. So I've stressed we need to be physical, we want sides leaving here knowing they've been in a game and in no hurry to get back.

"We're doing that through our defence which, for me, has been the strongest part of our game."

Lantry believes, in general terms, the Sydney sides like to play an up-tempo style of football, and one of the ways to bring them undone is through physicality - in other words, get up and in their faces. Put their attack under pressure and make sure your defenders are hitting hard right across the park.

It's hard to argue: after five games Maitland have conceded just 56 points and remain the only unbeaten team.

It's hot form going into three tough games in succession. They play Wests Illawarra at Maitland on Saturday, followed by North Sydney in Maitland the following Saturday and then the final round against Glebe Burwood Wolves in Sydney - all strong finals contenders.

But for all the talk of defence, there was one attacking performance on the weekend the coach was still shaking his head about.

Thornton Beresfield junior Gary Anderson had an absolute belter at right centre.

The stats can do the talking: he had 11 carries for 188 metres - an average of 17.1 metres a carry; eight tackle busts; five line breaks; one try, one try assist, one line break assist.

"Unbelievable statistics," Lantry said. "He has acceleration, power, and when he hits you in defence, you know about it all right. And he's still young, he'll keep getting better."

Which, in Lantry's eyes, ticks all the boxes.

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