The team coming first, fresh off their strongest win of the season, on their home turf on Saturday against a side limping along with just one win from their last five games.

But think again. It's Maitland against Kurri, a side that loves nothing more than to cause as much pain and suffering as they can to their near neighbours. The word 'ambush' springs immediately to mind.

"It will be a tough, physical sort of game, the same as always," Pickers coach Matt Lantry said. "I'd expect they'll try to slow down the play the ball and turn it into a grinding affair. We have a lot of dangerous players in attack, and they'll get up in our faces to try to stifle them. We have to be ready for that.

"One of the most pleasing things about last weekend's win over Central was our game management. We were patient with the ball and we're going to need that again.

"I'd still like us to have a higher completion rate - that's something we continue to work on - but it was certainly a big step in the right direction."

Kurri, on the other hand, are smarting from an upset loss to the young Lakes side - an effort that triggered a blast from captain-coach Mitch Cullen.

But this week they have three big guns back in action - half Tyler Randall, former Knight Nathan Ross who will start at five-eighth, and centre Henry Penn.

"It's a much stronger side than we fielded last week and we're going there not just to compete, but to win," Bulldogs president Mick Alchin said.

"Fortunately Wyong and The Entrance both lost too which keeps us right in the hunt, so there's everything to play for.

"I think the key for us is to get some go-forward up the middle to take pressure off our halves. That's been a bit of an issue for us. If we get that, then Tyler and Nathan can do their thing and that makes us very dangerous."

The move of Ross to five eighth is interesting. He'll play alongside Penn and back rower Reid Alchin on the left, giving them a very dangerous left side in attack, with Cullen and Randall expected to operate on the right.

One player missing will be centre Jarred Anderson who has been suspended for a week after a shoulder charge.

Maitland too will be without powerful back rower Matt Allwood for up to a month with a shoulder injury suffered against Macquarie two weeks back.

"We're waiting to get the full extent but he'll be gone for a few weeks yet," Lantry said.

On the positive side representative forward Pat Mata'utia, whose Maitland career has been stop-start through COVID restrictions and injury, played 70 minutes in the top grade last weekend and came through it well.

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