The Maitland Pickers are again the toast of NSW Rugby League clubs, securing back-to-back state titles with a 36-12 victory over Sydney side Hills Bulls in Sunday's end-of-season conference final at CommBank Stadium.

A fortnight after claiming the Newcastle Rugby League premiership and two years on from their initial President's Cup success during COVID, Maitland found themselves on top of the podium once more and holding aloft silverware in September.

The 24-point win not only capped off a stellar 2022 campaign for the Pickers, but rounded out an three impressive three-season period.

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"It was really satisfying to finish the year off like that. It was a massive challenge but the boys rose to the occasion like they have all year," Langbridge told the Newcastle Herald amid the celebrations.

"It really did start for us in the original President's Cup [2020], building the foundations of this team and we've been able to perform for three years now."

Lantry says "that means a lot".

"I'm enormously proud to coach the group that we've got. It would have been easy for us to achieve what we achieved and just be happy to win the Newcastle comp.

"To be able to go back to back, say we're the best semi-professional club in NSW and, when there's so much at stake, to come out and perform the way we did in those conditions. We hung tough for a lot of that game."

Maitland got in front early and were never headed by Hills, scoring five tries to two across the 80 minutes.

However, leading 14-6 just prior to half-time, the Pickers were on the verge of conceding a try at one end before a length-of-the-field effort from Matt Soper-Lawler helped change the game.

The Maitland centre soccered a loose ball from 10m out, chipped ahead with his knee, regathered and held off chasing defenders on the sprint home to create a 14-point buffer at the main break.

"I was on the wrong side of the field to be honest," Soper-Lawler said.

"One thing this club drives is putting in the extra effort. Probably 90 percent of the time during the season it doesn't really matter, but today was obviously one of those times when it did."

Retiring Perry Le Brocque finished his career with the final try, five-eighth Chad O'Donnell was named best on ground and halfback Brock Lamb injured his leg.

Maitland Pickers 36 (James Bradley, Daniel Langbridge, Matt Soper-Lawler, Brock Lamb, Perry Le Brocque tries; Lamb 5, Chad O'Donnell 3 goals) def Hills Bulls 12 (Tim Robinson, Damon Smith tries; Brad Keighran 2 goals)

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