Maitland Pickers captain Alex Langbridge is confident the team can lift after their recent two-point loss to Macquarie and 20-all draw with Central Newcastle on the weekend.
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And there's no better time than this Saturday at Harker Oval against his old side Western Suburbs where he won the 2019 premiership, not that many of his old teammates are left from those days as the Rosellas sit in bottom spot.
"The core of that team is pretty much gone, but whether it's Wests or Wyong it's always nice to play well and win against sides you've played at," Langbridge said.
Wests broke through for their first win of the season downing Cessnock Goannas 18-16 on the weekend, but it's still first against last and Langbridge said there was no room for complacency this week, particularly from the senior players who need to lift.
The Pickers were without Sam Anderson, Reid Alchin, Pat Mata'utia, Faitotoa Faitotoa, Harrison Spruce, Daniel Langbridge and added Perry Le Brocque to the injury list mid-way through the second half with a broken scapular in his shoulder which may have ended his season.
"When you change personnel it's always going to have some impact, but in saying that the guys who have come in have done a really good job in terms of adding energy to the team and just doing their role," Langbridge said.
"I think some of us senior players certainly have to look at our own performances in the way that we are playing and work out how these other guys play and make sure we play to their strengths.
Lincoln Smith had his best game since returning to the line up from injury and was the Pickers best scoring a double and getting through a mountain of work.
Joey Barber and Ethan Butterfield made their first grade debuts for Maitland and both performed well.
Butterfield, playing in the backrow clocked up 60 minutes, and got to play for the first time with older brother Jayden who was among the Pickers' best.
There was also a special moment for Ethan Edwards who scored his first try in first grade to give the Pickers an 18-6 lead and seemingly control of the game.
But unlike earlier games in the season when the Pickers would have amped up the pressure and put on more tries, they allowed Central back into the game.
"There were a couple of times when we could have put Central to the sword," Langbridge said. "There were a few times when we had the ascendancy and there were a few mistakes with ill-discipline and execution which let us down."
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The Pickers squandered at least two tries with failure to back up players after they had made breaks and were in prime position to pass to a free teammate.
"It showed lack of awareness and lack of focus everyone should have been there. That's one of those moments I was talking about. Those breaks you need to ice them," Langbridge said.
"I felt during our winning run we were really strangling teams and when we had the ascendancy in the game we were able to capitalise on that, we'd often score two or three tries in a short period.
"On the weekend and even against Macquarie when we were on the front foot I felt 'here we go, we are starting to roll here' and we would make a simple mistake or something wouldn't go our way and it would halt the momentum we had built up.
"Nothing needs to change drastically.
"We've had a draw and narrow loss to two of the other top sides, which was a reality check, but we just need to get back to playing simple footy, run hard, tackle hard and just win those big and important moments."