Maitland Pickers beat Scorpions 40-4 to win Newcastle RL grand final

A double to Reid Alchin and tries to Brock Lamb, Alex Langbridge and Matt Soper-Lawler blew out the 14-4 halftime lead.

Brock Lamb and Jayden Butterfield scored the first half tries..

In an explosive start to the game there was a scuffle involving the majority of players within the first minute as Macquarie Scorpion Ross Geoffrey raged a one-man war against Maitland.

Geoffrey was placed on report, but remained on the field despite the cries of the Maitland fans.

The Pickers amped up the pressure and forced two line drop-outs before scoring the first points through a penalty goal to Brock Lamb in front after he had been hit late after passing the ball.

Geoffrey tested the referee's patience once to often and he was sin-binned for 10 mintues after rushing in to remonstrate after a tackle had been completed about the 12 minute mark.

The Scorpions went close to scoring the first try when fullback Kerrod Holland flew high to catch a bomb and only desperate defence held him out.

But soon after back-rower Lincoln Smith broke the Macquarie line and passed the ball to Lamb who ran 40 metres to score under the uprights.

He converted the goal for the Pickers to lead 8-0 after 15 minutes.

Just seven minutes later Jayden Butterfield hit the line at speed off a short ball from Lamb and beat three defenders to score a classic front-rowers try.

The Pickers defence was merciless and typified by a huge effort when four defenders bundled two Scorpions over the slideline as they threatened to score with about eight minutes left in the half.

The Scorpions clawed back a late try out wide when Dean Morris was on the end of a series of passes to score on the right edge.

Holland missed the conversion.