Pickers v the Ants: ladies ... let the rivalry begin

And the initial bragging rights go to the Maitland Pickers Ladies League Tag team after they recorded a convincing 14-0 win over the Aberglasslyn Ants last weekend.

It was the first ever meeting between the clubs after the two teams found themselves in the same competition this season for the first time.

Last season the Pickers were narrowly beaten in the grand final of their competition - the Newcastle competition - while the Ants won yet another title in the Newcastle Hunter competition.

So it's fair to say this was a much anticipated clash from the players in both teams.

Pickers coach Logan Redman, who took over from Tony Howard this season, has no doubt the rivalry will evolve.

"You could feel that there was a bit of extra feeling about the game," he said. "It was more like a semi final game. There had been a few things written on Facebook about it ... that sort of thing, so we knew they would be up for it.

"They had won three or four premierships and were sitting up the top of the ladder again this year, so we had to be ready."

When the Mercury did a story on the Ants earlier this season, they too had made no secret of the fact that the match date with the Pickers was firmly pencilled in on their calendar.

The Ants' Ashlee Harvey said there was a buzz among the girls about the match.

"We'd been waiting four years to play them, so we were looking forward to it, for sure," she said.

"They were too fast in the first half, but we held them scoreless in the second. We had a few players out too, so they'll be back next time and we'll be better for it.

"We can't wait to play them again. There's no doubt, it's going to become a real Maitland rivalry."

The win puts the Pickers alone on top of the ladder with the Ants and Central - who beat Maitland in a close match in an earlier round - in equal second.

Redman says the key to his team's success has been the emphasis on defence, which showed as they were able to keep the Ants scoreless.

"We put a lot of emphasis on defence last season and we've continued with that," he said. "We had a bit of a turnover of players this year, maybe four or five came in."

He said left centre Isabella Mattsson and middle forward Estelle Hughes were two of the best against the Ants, continuing their strong start to the season.

"Issy scored a terrific 70 metre try and had a hand in another," he said. "She was voted the players' player.

"And Estelle is a force in defence up the middle, but also gains heaps of metres for us in attack. She joined us from Wests in the off-season and has made a big impact."

Let there be no doubt, the Ants will be back - hungrier, and more determined than ever. This is one contest that's just warming up.