Maitland coach Matt Lantry can't recall "a more complete first-half performance".
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The Pickers barely put a foot wrong as they piled on 38 unanswered points in the opening 40 minutes of Saturday's grand final.
"I don't think in my time coaching, I've ever seen a more complete first-half performance," Lantry told the Newcastle Herald.
"We had a really good week [leading up to the game] and I was confident in that. We had some plans around the way we needed to execute and how we needed to defend.
"Everything just clicked at once and it was game over at half-time really."
Maitland crossed for six tries before the break, including three in the space of around five minutes after Souths winger Jacob Afflick was sent to the sin bin on the half-hour mark.
"We're a disciplined, ruthless, relentless footy team once we get going. We found a groove today. I don't think I've got too many words to describe that first half," Lantry said.
Almost everything Pickers halfback Brock Lamb touched turned to gold, setting up multiple tries at will, scoring one himself and kicking six of his eight shots at goal.
"Exceptional. I've said during the year how much he's grown as a player, but he's grown as a personal as well and he's maturity around the group in a leadership sense," Lantry said.
"He's a future first-grade captain, no doubt, and he could go on here another 10 years and win another three, four, five premierships. Who knows."
In terms of clinching consecutive Newcastle RL crowns
"Back-to-back is nice. It's one that will sit right up there, if not top of the tree. It's hard right now, It'll need some time to sink in," Lantry said.
"This year was our toughest year. People were asking 'will you be complacent? We've got a great group and I love how connected they are even away from footy. And when big games roll around, there's not too many sides who go with us."
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