Ryan Glanville emphasises the "belief" which has continued to build at Souths this year while Alex Langbridge reflects on bonds forged at Maitland out of COVID-19 cancellations back in 2020.
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Both captains will once again be key players in the Newcastle Rugby League game when the Lions and Pickers clash in Saturday's title showdown at McDonald Jones Stadium (2pm).
Souths have rebounded from the wooden spoon in a 2021 season cut short by coronavirus, won 13 of their last 15 appearances after starting this campaign 1-3 and managed to find a way through the current finals series in three clashes decided by six points or less.
"I think just belief, that's our biggest thing this year, we believe in ourselves," Lions five-eighth Glanville told the Newcastle Herald.
"From pre-season to now we've trained extremely hard, everyone's been on board and the volunteers do so much work for us.
"Belief is our biggest message and while ever we're in the fight, we're always going to believe."
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Maitland arrive amid a 12-game winning streak, having lost just once in 2023 and with an opportunity to claim a minor-major premiership double in back-to-back Newcastle RL seasons.
However, hooker Langbridge says "we're not the same club without 2020", pointing to the Pickers' successful campaign in the statewide President's Cup, which only came about as a flow-on effect of the global pandemic.
"It's one of those years that galvanised us because it was such a great challenge," he said.
"We brought in blokes, because of other competitions not going ahead, who would have never come to Maitland and now they've all stayed.
"The achievement built belief, a love for the club and really brought the group together. That's continued on ever since.
'Pretty lucky. COVID was terrible for so many people, but I look back now and think 'geez, President's Cup was pretty good'. It never would have happened ... It would have been a different path [to here] and where we ended up who knows."
Maitland have beaten Souths three times this year - round 3 (20-12 on Easter Monday), round 17 (24-10 on Sleapy's Day) and the major semi-final (24-22 a fortnight ago).
"We've just got to focus on ourselves. Our biggest downfall has probably been our discipline, both with the ball and in defence," Glanville said.
"If we can correct those mistakes and not give away too many opportunities, against any side but in particular Maitland because they will make you pay.
"We've got to be willing to play for 80 minutes otherwise they will get the job done."
Langbridge says the Pickers "need to be better" than last time around against the Lions, surviving a serious scare with a Brock Lamb penalty goal ultimately the difference on the scoreboard.
"it was tight and they would walk away from that, rightfully, thinking they were unlucky," he said.
"Looking back at the tape, we didn't perform to our standards and they really took it to us. They probably come into this game with a little bit of confidence and we need to be better."
Souths' two other encounters during the finals series were against Cessnock, victorious 26-20 at Townson Oval in week one and piling on 24 second-half points to run down the Goannas 28-22 in Saturday's preliminary final at Kurri Sportsground on Saturday.
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