As a sporting contest, it was pretty much over after 12 minutes.
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By that time the Maitland Pickers had scored a converted try, star player Nathan Ross had left the field with an injury, and Kurri Bulldogs captain-coach Mitch Cullen had been sent off.
It appeared the referee felt that Cullen had come down with an elbow on the back of the head of a tackled player.
It was the sort of action you see in the early stages of every single game.
A penalty? Fair enough. Even a sin bin if the referee is trying to make an early statement.
But a send off? No way, and it ruined the game.
"It totally killed the contest," Bulldogs president Mick Alchin said.
"It was gut wrenching for Mitch ... he was so disheartened in the shed afterwards.
"We knew we'd have to play really well to get the points anyway, but that gave us no chance."
The final score was 48-6, and if it was a tough day for Cullen, it was even worse for Ross.
After a delayed start to the season to shake off a persistent calf injury, Ross was running with the ball when he suddenly crashed to the ground.
"It's his left hamstring - a big tear," Alchin said. "You're probably looking at six weeks on the sideline. He's still keen and can't wait to get back out there, but it's a huge blow. We'd moved him to five-eighth to try to get the ball in his hands more, and now this. It's ironic because he was saying that it was as fit as he's felt a long time."
Powerful centre Henry Penn didn't play - he was being given an extra week to overcome a hamstring niggle, and will return next week. And second rower Reid Alchin, who was his team's best player, injured a groin despite seeing out the match.
"We're thin on numbers and we had a couple of players out there carrying injuries," Alchin admitted.
With the reserve grade side well beaten, it's not as if the selectors are spoiled for choice right now.
It was pretty obvious that Maitland, who are shaping as the team to beat, had the Bulldogs covered for pace out wide. When they were given room to move - which they were on the back of some strong running up the middle from their front rowers - their outside backs looked extremely dangerous scoring a couple of length of the field tries. One, shortly after Cullen was dismissed, came from the kick off.
The task for Kurri doesn't get any easier next week when they take on second-placed Central at Charlestown.
"We usually have a pretty good game against Central, but at this stage it's hard to say what our side will be," Alchin said.