Newcastle Thunder 28 Oldham 22
By Aidanb
April 8 2019
I was lucky enough to get an invite to come along to a Thunder game and see for myself how it worked. I have watched and played Union all of my life and am comfortable in my skin in this game. I have watched League through my days as a child when it was Eddie Waring and mostly I remember it being a running game and then hearing "It's an up and under" but I didn't understand it very well. It looked like a lot of time was spent watching three or four people wriggling around on the floor in an attempt to either get up and Play the Ball or stop the man getting up. It was also quite a feisty affair - as was Union in those days.
So yesterday I went up to KP and sampled the Rugby League at tier 3 with Mick, Keith, Dave and Lee [I think] on hand to explain the game to me in terms of the tactics.
Firstly Oldham got away to a 16-0 headstart and were the dominant side until 10 minutes from the end of the first half when their best forward was substituted [they have some rolling substitutes in League] and the Thunder also changed some of their forwards.
Thunder then got on the front foot and ended the half 22-10 down but looking like the last 10 minutes of the first half could point the way to the second half opportunities.
Thunder eventually ran out 28-22 winners and were totally dominant in the second half.
I enjoyed watching that game and I would recommend any of you Falcons fans who like the running rugby of back play to go up and watch it.
Now then, on to what I learned from the game.
The basics of the game are 6 tackles, quick Play the Ball is key and line speed in defence.
Oldham got a good start in the game because their line speed in defence and attack was much better than Thunders and this was helped by the dominance at Play the Ball which ensured a quick release. One of these was so good the Thunder were penalised for not retreating 10 quickly enough so that when Oldham attacked the whole backline was in front of the referee. [the referee officiates the game from 10 yards ahead of the play the ball so that he can clearly see the game but also marks the line where the defence should get to.]
Thunder came back into the game because their change of players brought them more dominance at Play the Ball. This seemed to me to be about taking 3 Oldham players down to ground and getting the ball back quickly. Thus creating quick ball and hindering the Oldham defence chances because they were still retreating as we were attacking and also having 1 less man in the defensive wall.
Then came the final 10 minutes when Thunder were ahead and needed to shut the play down. Much like Union the problem is you need cool heads out there and sometimes the adrenalin beats that. Thunder needed to keep Oldham pinned in their own "22" so that their 6 tackles possession wasn't going to threaten their own 22 - assuming good tackles along the way. Thunder also needed to make use of their own possession to work their way up the field in a sensible and slow manner which ran the clock down.
They managed the former quite well and it was impressive to see cool heads keep Oldham pinned back but the adrenalin rush meant they attacked Play the ball too quickly and thus at the end of their 6 tackles there was still plenty of time on the clock for an Oldham chance. It nearly came but good defence and solid work kept them out.
Why am I writing this?
Because it was a good afternoon watching running rugby and although tier 3, it was still highly entertaining. There were great skills out there and I would recommend the game to all of you.
Could I become a regular up there, possibly?
I certainly enjoyed it and looking at the game through some more educated eyes has been helpful.
There is a note here that paying money to go to KP and watch the Thunder also helps our Union side of life as a thriving clubhouse can only help.
Finally, please be aware that League has a different crowd dynamic and although there are standards of behaviour to be expected it can get a little bit more tasty than we have come to expect at a Union game. There seemed to be a bit more of a chant going round and one i was told of [i might not have this perfect] was
"Give me a T -"
"Give me an I - "
"Give me a T - "
"Give me an S - "
"What you gonna do?" - Oldham
Get along folks and even if you only go once it will have been worth it to see how it works.
ps maybe the Thunder guys should do a buddy system where you can go to a game and meet up with a League fan who explains the game and tactics the way that was done for me.
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Older RL fans will know what I mean when I say that I witnessed the Van Volenhoven try!
But at one game at Gateshead I realised that I was not enjoying it because it isn't union and fails to have the same complexity.
I realised my mistake and started looking at it with different eyes and not seeing it for what it isn't. It is fast moving, tactically simple and highly enjoyable. I still prefer Union, but League is a good way of occupying Falconless summers.
I hope the Magic Weekend returns to SJP because it is a great experience.
RL crowds at KP are different. More drinking and much more eating.
Hope to see some of you there soon.
Get along and support them if you can
Let's see if he still has some of that RL magic he had when he played Newcastle Knights.