IT was a case of "coulda, shoulda, woulda" for Wests coach Todd Lowrie after the Rosellas almost produced the upset of the season against Newcastle Rugby League leaders Maitland on Saturday.
Last-placed Wests, who have had only one win this year, had another within reach at Harker Oval but a depleted Pickers outfit held on for what coach Matt Lantry labelled a "character-building" 22-16 win.
"To Wests' credit, they put it to us," Lantry said.
"They'll trouble some sides at the back end of the year."
Lowrie had said prior to the game some belief had returned to his side following their first win last week and the Rosellas came our firing against the competition's front-runners.
They took a 6-0 lead inside two minutes after centre Stephen Widders took advantage of a Maitland error on a kick-return and scored only a minute into the game.
The Pickers hit back in the ninth minute when winger Jye Bieman finished off a sideline-to-sideline play and scored again a few minutes later when back-rower Reid Alchin found a gap from close range.
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A penalty goal allowed Maitland take a 14-6 lead into halftime, but Wests struck a couple of minutes after the break with Widders crossing again on the right edge.
Alchin then bagged a double of his own to help extend Maitland's lead to 20-12.
Wests scored again to reduce the deficit to only four points, but despite a Maitland sin-bin, couldn't post any further points. Maitland kicked a penalty goal in the 75th minute to hold a six-point lead until full-time.
"We were our own worst enemy," Lowrie said.
"We got to a point where we could have won the game, and just weren't good enough to go on with it.
"We defended well in patches, but just turned over too much ball and gave away too many penalties to a quality opposition. They certainly dug deep to get the win.
"We coulda, shoulda, woulda, but we probably come away from that thinking that we could have won, and we didn't. We've had too many of them this year."
Maitland lost winger Will Niewenhuise to a head-knock and centre James Bradley to a hamstring strain in the second half, which was coupled with prop Jayden Butterfield being sin-binned.
"We had to go through a bit of adversity," Lantry said.
"We were down to one interchange with 18 [minutes] to go.
"It was a character-building win more than anything. We needed to find a way to win, and we hung on."
South Newcastle recorded their third consecutive win in the other Saturday game, belting The Entrance 46-14 at Townson Oval.
The Tigers were missing at least five first-grade regulars, including halves Will Pearsall and Adam McInnes, and couldn't contain the in-form Lions.
Souths led 22-10 at the break after four tries in the first half and scored just as many in the second stanza.
Lock Ryan Glanville was a standout, scoring a try and setting up a couple more.
On Sunday, Macquarie scored in the final few minutes and then kicked a penalty goal to claim a 22-14 win over Kurri Kurri at Lyall Peacock Field.
Still celebrating the NRL debut of former player Grant Anderson, Central defeated Wyong 30-10 at St John Oval.
Cessnock soured Lakes' 75th anniversary celebrations with a 24-6 win at Cahill Oval.
