FANTASTIC FIVE
Fantastic five
Maitland’s major teams have excelled across the sporting spectrum this season and are quickly leaving their mark on 2010.
For the first time in memory five teams bearing the Maitland name and flying the black and white colours have qualified for top grade finals for their respective sports in the same year.
The Maitland Pickers (rugby league), the Maitland Blacks (rugby union), the Maitland Magpies (football), the Maitland Rams (hockey) and the Maitland Mustangs (basketball) will all taste the finals feast the late months of winter bring each year.
There have been times in the past when Maitland has revelled in the success of its sporting teams.
In 1998 the Maitland Blacks won premierships in the top three grades while the Mustangs reached the
play-offs in State League division two.
In 1983 the Maitland Pickers and the Maitland Blacks won premierships in their respective codes.
In 1969, the year most often referred to in Maitland’s sporting folklore, the treble was achieved when the Maitland Pickers, the Maitland Blacks and the Maitland Magpies dominated the Hunter’s football landscape across all codes.
Forty-one years on from that golden era, the potential is there to mark another special year in Maitland’s history, if it has not already.
The Mustangs have already had their taste of play-offs, qualifying for the finals of the Waratah Australian Basketball League for the first time in the club’s history.
They then went on to reach the statewide final and ended up within millimetres of a maiden premiership in front of a packed Newcastle Basketball Stadium last weekend.
“From our position, we are one of the only country teams in the competition and at the start of the year we almost laughed it off about the possibility of winning the title,” Mustangs co-captain Andy Allen said.
“But once we got there we knew we could compete and that was a satisfying feeling.
“The finals were some of the best games I have ever been involved in.”
The Maitland Pickers have completed an unbelievable turnaround in the Newcastle Rugby League competition since returning to the senior ranks last year.
This followed a two-year wait in the rugby league wilderness and within two seasons the club is one win away from a first grade minor premiership and a club championship – the club’s first silverware since 1983.
All three grades will play finals the following weekend.
“It is absolutely amazing what has happened,” Pickers skipper Joel Osborn said.
“With the team we had this year we were not even expected to make the five, so to be one win off a minor premiership is huge.
“I am very proud to be part of this team and even prouder to be the captain.”
The Maitland Blacks will be looking to go deeper into the finals campaign this year when they contest their third consecutive series.
The team will be looking to crack their first top grade premiership since 1999.
They have a chance to finish third on the Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union premier one grade competition table if they win their final match of the regular season on Saturday.
Regardless of the weekend’s result, they will be in the finals alongside the club’s other three grades at Marcellin Park the following week.
“Hopefully we can finish third so we get two bites at the cherry,” Blacks skipper Luke Cunningham said.
“But it has been a good year for the club all round.”
The Magpies kick-off their finals campaign on Sunday against the Charlestown City Blues as they look to defend their First Division major premiership.
All three grades will contest finals for the third consecutive year.
“Hopefully we can bring back 1969. It has been a great year for everyone in Maitland sport,” Magpies leader David Mudd said.
The Maitland Rams will shoot for their maiden top grade title this weekend when they play league leaders Norths in the Hunter Coast Premier League.
A win could seal the minor premiership and they could go on to their claim their first major title as well.
Rams captain Peter Urquhart summed it up best for his team and the Maitland’s sporting success.
“It makes you proud to be from Maitland,” he said.
“And it shows how much talent there is in all of the sports.”
On Thursday the skippers of each team came together for a historic photograph at the Maitland Mercury.
The men, decked out from head to toe in black and white, conversed about their respective seasons and the prospects of finals to come.
The conversations could have continued long into the afternoon sun but the commitment to training and dedication to their teams called once more.
But before they departed down High Street and travelled to the grounds, which have provided the basis for chances of premiership glory in 2010, there was one parting shot.
They gathered, shook hands and wished each other well for the battles to come.
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.