The Maitland Pickers saw off a strong challenge from Wyong to run out 20-12 winners at Morry Breen Oval on Saturday.
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Missing several regular first graders, the inclusions including Jye Bieman-King and Will Niewenhuise, in their first first-grade games of the season, played strongly.
Bieman-King and Niewenhause replaced the left-side backs combination of Gary Anderson and the Pickers leading try scorer James Bradley and were joined by Jackson Shade in a reshaped line-up with Harrison Spruce missing as well.
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"It was a very tough win, Wyong were really competitive today. They really turned up and challenged us," Pickers coach Matt Lantry said of the Pickers' fifth win from five games.
"The score was 6-all for a long period and we gradually eased ourselves in front, but the way we defended was the most pleasing thing.
"We defended six sets on our goal-line. I think the hardest thing was Wyong threw plenty of shape at us, we really had to scramble on a few occasions to turn them away.
"That's what good wins are built on, that's what seasons are built on so we certainly set a benchmark for ourselves defensively."
Lantry was pleased with the performances of Bieman-King and Niewenhause.
"Those two guys were tremendous, obviously you lose James Bradley who is very hard to replace, Harrison Spruce who gives us great flexibility and Gary Anderson late," he said.
"To have those two come in a play so well is a testament to our depth and what we are doing in reserve grade as well."
Lantry said Bieman-King was in the Pickers best along with fullback Dan Langbridge and forward Cal Burgess, but his man of the match was skipper Alex Langbridge.
"I thought Bieman-King was good, Dan Langbridge was great I thought. He had a bit of an ankle niggle and was 50-50 coming into the game but was tremendous.
"Cal Burgess had a really high work rate and got through a lot of minutes," he said.
"I thought Alex's leadership, his quality and decision making in and around the mid-third of the park was tremendous today."
In reserve grade Maitland defeated the Northern Hawks 22-20 in a thriller with Broc Hunt scoring a double for the Pickers.
The score from under-19s was not available and the Pickers' A-grade game against Woodberry was washed out.
After two washouts, the Maitland Pickers Ladies League Tag team were 46-6 winners against Fingal Bay.
In other Newcastle RL games, South Newcastle 22 defeated Cessnock 14, The Entrance 32 beat Kurri Kurri 4, Central beat Lakes United 30-14 and Macquarie Scorpions defeated Wests 32-0.