MAITLAND have potentially strengthened the credentials of a Newcastle Rugby League premiership defence following the mid-season signing of Kurri Kurri stalwart Mitch Cullen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Pickers confirmed the move on Wednesday with coach Matt Lantry describing the arrival of Cullen, now fully recovered from last year's knee surgery, as a "huge in for us".
Cullen, a Bulldogs junior who notched up 150 top-flight games at the club, is now contracted with Maitland for the rest of this campaign and 2024.
The Rebels and NSW Pioneers representative trained with the Pickers for the first time on Tuesday night but Lantry says he won't play in this weekend's top-of-the-table clash against Cessnock at Maitland Sportsground.
"He [Cullen] is now contracted to the Maitland Pickers for the rest of the year and next year," Lantry told Australian Community Media.
"He's now 10 months post [knee] reconstruction and has been given the all clear. He trained for the first time last night [Tuesday] and looked pretty good.
"We won't rush Cullo. We want to make sure he feels comfortable in our environment before throwing him in."
Lantry says Cullen's arrival may help fill the void possibly left by Pickers second-rower Reid Alchin, who remains a week-to-week prospect with the Knights (NSW Cup).
"The more the conversation moved along the more it started to feel like a good fit, especially with the Reid situation and potentially not having him at the back end of the year due to qualification purposes," he said.
"He certainly gives us some cover in the back-row but he's an experienced campaigner who brings plenty to our squad and can play a variety of positions, which is important."
June 30 is the transfer deadline.
Maitland's casualty ward includes Peter Wilson and Pat Mata'utia while winger Will Nieuwenhuise was named to return from a week off.
* CESSNOCK will be missing three players with suspension for Saturday's one-versus-two battle against the Pickers at Maitland Sportsground. Jai See was added to that list this week after copping a one-match ban, playing reserves in round 12 when first grade had the bye. Jarred Anderson found himself in trouble again following a reserve-grade fixture the weekend earlier while Goannas captain-coach Harry Siejka continues his month-long stint on the sidelines.
* SOUTHS hooker Mitch Black has rocketed to the top of the point-scoring ranks with 94 so far this season. He's scored almost half of his team's totals in the last three outings with a combined personal tally of 46.
* ROUND 13: Saturday - Kurri Kurri v Souths, Maitland v Cessnock, Wyong v Macquarie; Sunday - Wests v Lakes, Central v The Entrance. Bye - Northern Hawks.
MORE IN SPORT:
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
