PAUL Mlotkowski may be in his first season in the Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union but the flying Wanderers fullback is quickly establishing a reputation as the best attacking weapon in the competition.
Mlotkowski scored two tries and set up two others to steer Wanderers to a hard-fought 31-24 win over Maitland at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday the Two Blues' third victory in seven days.
After starting the season on the wing, Mlotkowski was switched to fullback a month ago with amazing success.
His speed and ability to create from broken play has added a new dimension to the Wanderers backline.
"He reads the game very well and is playing with a heap of confidence," Wanderers coach Dan Beckett said after the match.
"He thinks he can score a try every time he touches the ball.
"Most importantly he has that component you cannot coach, pure speed."
The game was less than a minute old on Saturday when Mlotkowski exploited a jagged Maitland kick chase to set up the Two Blues' opening try.
He claimed the ball deep inside his own half, stepped past the first chaser and then in the blink of an eye burst up the middle of the park before linking with Dan Kevill, who sent fellow back-rower Corey Te Koeti on a path to the corner.
Mlotkowski backed himself again 20 minutes later. This time he went down the short side and with only five metres to work his magic, the former Wests Canberra speed machine beat his man on the outside and tip-toed down the right touchline before delivering a pass on the inside for Mark Sherwood to touch down to give the Two Blues a 12-5 lead.
Then with the scores locked at 19-all, Mlotkowski was the beneficiary of a beautiful inside ball from replacement Anthony Foster and outpaced the cover in a 30m dash to the line.
If that was not enough, he used quick feet to dance through a host of tired Blacks defenders to touch down for his 13th try of the season and all but seal the victory with five minutes remaining.
Mlotkowski' s willingness to back himself is symptomatic of the form of the Two Blues, who have now strung 10 straight wins together to move to the top of the table.
The win, performed in commemorative white jumpers, was the Two Blues' third in seven days and a fitting lead-in to the club's 85th anniversary ball on Saturday night.
Maitland led 14-12 at half-time but lost their grunt when captain Adam Perkins (corked thigh) and James Bonomini (leg) were forced off with injuries.
In other games, Aiden Kelso scored a treble as Merewether thrashed Nelson Bay 80-5, Ricky Mavin did likewise to help steer Hamilton to a 35-17 triumph over Southern Beaches, Singleton scored their third win of the season, beating The Waratahs 33-31, and University overpowered Lake Macquarie 19-7.