Maitland Pickers coach Matt Lantry described it as a "game changing moment".
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It may end up season defining.
Whatever way you look at it, Pickers prop Jayden Butterfield went 60 metres to chase down a runaway Hills winger and prevent him from scoring in Saturday's narrow semi-final win at Maitland Sportsground.
Without that first-half effort minor premiers Maitland could well be watching the President's Cup decider from the grandstands, but instead they will be vying for a state title when they meet Glebe Burwood at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday (3:30pm).
"We missed a soft tackle and the winger looked home and hosed," Lantry said.
"Buttsy went 60 metres to stop him and then he was helped by our opposite winger James Bradley. They knocked on the next play. It's a game changing moment. If they score there it's probably 12-10 to them at half-time and who knows what happens."
Butterfield said he was "absolutely blowing" afterwards, but "thankfully" he got there in time and Maitland went onto defeat the Bulls 14-12 in the elimination encounter.
Lantry puts it down to the front-rower's "leg speed" and reckons he's "one of the fastest in our team". The mentor also added he's "unbelievably strong" and a "great character" to have around.
There's been plenty of recruits arrive at the Pickers this year, both during the off-season and post the COVID-19 break once they entered this one-off NSW Rugby League competition.
However, Butterfield is one of a handful of players, alongside the likes of Sam Anderson, who were already at the club.
"He [Butterfield] is Maitland through and through," Lantry said.
The 23-year-old plumber is a West Maitland junior who missed an under 18s grand final with the Pickers because of a broken hand.
Butterfield enjoyed an extended stint as part of the Knights system, progressing from Harold Matthews to SG Ball, under 20s and most recently NSW Cup.
The former Australian Schoolboys representative has been back in the Pickers' senior ranks on a full-time basis since 2018.
"It does [feel like home] and it's a club I'd like to play with for the rest of my career," he said.
Following a "hot and cold" period the boys in black and white are eying some silverware and Butterfield says "it's the only reason we're going down there". He's keen to turn the tables on the Wolves, who handed Maitland their only loss of this campaign in the last round a fortnight ago.
The Pickers have just marked a decade since they broke a 27-year premiership drought in Newcastle RL. The 2010 success was the first of back-to-back major titles and 12th overall since joining the competition in 1925. Maitland recieved the Clayton Cup in 1956 as the best performed team in country NSW.
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