Newcastle Thunder v Rochdale Hornets and League 1 review

Newcastle Thunder v Rochdale Hornets

This afternoon saw Rochdale visit Blaydon to take on Newcastle Thunder in their first home game for a number of weeks. I knew it would be a tough afternoon for Thunder and so it proved.

Prior to kick off there was a minute's silence in memory of Thunder fan Kevin Barlow.

The final scoreline of 0-60 doesn't look good on paper but especially in the first half I felt we were competitive and it didn't feel like a 0-30 scoreline at half time. There was some obvious frustration from some of the players at the end and there were some unforced errors that you will get punished for. This is stuff that can be worked on, a prime example being a forward pass from Thunder's very first set of the game, this led to a Rochdale try from the turnover in possession.

Newcastle Thunder v Rochdale Hornets

For Thunder as daft as it sounds I can't fault the effort or commitment of the players. At times they maybe tried to force things a bit too much leading to passes to ground but at no point did anyone take a backwards step. I think we probably deserved a try in the first half but credit to Rochdale they defended well throughout the game and their kick chase put Thunder under pressure from the word go. I thought James Farrar was solid at full back for Thunder.

For Rochdale I thought Lewis Else was very good for them. He ran the game well and his tricky running style caused Thunder no end of problems. They sit in sixth place five points of fourth place Midlands with a game in hand, all they can do is try and put a run of wins together to keep the teams above them under pressure, which they are capable of.

It was good to see a few people in from the community tournament staying on for the trophy presentation at half time.

Things don't get any easier for Thunder as they host table toppers North Wales Crusaders next Sunday afternoon at 15:00. I know it can be disheartening for everyone at the moment but I do think that as a club we need to get to the end of the season and re-group. The club has shared the plans for the future with a focus to boost the community game and up skill the coaches in the area so that young players coming through can have the best possible coaching to learn the game. This won't happen overnight but puts strong foundations in place in the region for the long-term.

The other elephant in the room in rugby league at the moment is no one knows at this stage what next season will look like. There are rumours gathering of the want for a fourteen team Super League, the knock on effect of this could be The Championship and League 1 combining. The sooner that there's any clarity on this situation the better for everyone as teams need to plan to know what level they're going to be playing at.

For now though and the remainder of the season let's continue to get behind Graham and the team, to their credit they're sticking together and this afternoon didn't take a backwards step.

Dewsbury v Swinton

Well I got this one wrong didn't I! Dewsbury have beaten Swinton this afternoon 26-6 in what's a really good result for the rams. It was tight at half time with Dewsbury leading 10-6 but they pulled ahead in the second half to record a victory that takes them two points off Midlands who sit in fourth place. For Swinton they drop to third and find themselves three points ahead of Dewsbury in the race for the play-offs. Dewsbury have no game next week while Swinton host Midlands in what will be a mouthwatering game as the race for the play-offs intensifies.

Goole Vikings v Keighley Cougars

Another one I got wrong, Goole continue to perform in their debut season. This afternoon they beat Keighley 26-12, doing the double of the Cougars and still keeping their long shot at making the play-offs alive. For Keighley they'll be disappointed with another loss as they sit in ninth place. Next week sees Goole hosting Rochdale which will be a huge game for both teams as they chase the play-off teams. For Keighley they're at home to an out of form Whitehaven.

Whitehaven v Workington

Workington took the spoils in the west Cumbria derby, taking the bragging rights 8-22, Whitehaven scored a last minute try but they'll be desperate to find some form as they travel to fellow strugglers Keighley next weekend. Workington find themselves up to second place and will be delighted with how their season is going. Next weekend they have a weekend off before a home game against Keighley in a fortnight.