Coach Matt Lantry hasn't been overly happy with the Maitland Pickers' first month of football, but believes there were definite signs of improvement against Lakes United last weekend.
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He's not getting carried away by the lopsided 58-6 scoreline - Lakes have been comfortably beaten in every start and are looking at a long, painful season ahead - but the fact that Maitland finally started respecting the ball more.
"I've been pretty critical so far," he said. "In the last two games before Lakes we had made 28 errors - 14 each game, and that's not good enough. Against Souths, three times after we had scored we failed to complete the set from the kick-off.
"It has been really frustrating, so we talked about it and this week there was an improvement. We completed at 75 per cent which is not great, but certainly a lot better."
Maitland will need to reproduce that against The Entrance this week who have been hot and cold in their five matches so far, with three wins and two losses. But in amongst that has been impressive wins over competition leaders Macquarie and Kurri.
"I haven't seen a lot of them this year," Lantry admitted. "I watch tapes of teams we're coming up against but none of those matches has featured The Entrance as their opposition.
"They've got a classy fullback, and three former NRL players in their lineup so they're a formidable team. We'll need to play well."
They've got a classy fullback, and three former NRL players in their lineup so they're a formidable team
- Matt Lantry
Lantry expects to have both second rower Pat Mata'utia (knee) and centre Jarom Haines (hamstring) back from injury but will limit their game time.
"I might bring them off the bench, but if they start they certainly won't go for the full game," he said.
With the reserves and under 19s having a bye, the first grade game will start early at 2pm on Saturday, with the Ladies League Tag and under 17s as the lead up games.
Meanwhile Cessnock's highly successful coach Todd Edwards has announced that this will be his last season in charge of the Goannas.
"I've had eight seasons as first grade coach and that's long enough," the 52-year-old said.
"I'll see if there's some sort of assistant coaching role I might be able to get at the Knights - ideally I'd like to keep my hand in the game somehow - but if not then I'll give it away altogether."
A journo all my working life and never wanted to change, also a self confessed sports tragic.
A journo all my working life and never wanted to change, also a self confessed sports tragic.
