NEWCASTLE THUNDER have paid tribute to their squad from 2025 as they prepare for wholesale changes for the upcoming campaign.
Those have already started off the field, with incoming chief executive Richie Metcalfe announcing that the 2024 and 2025 squad will forever be known as the Keelmen, a tribute to the historic boatmen of the Tyne who embodied strength, unity and pride.
Despite not winning a game in those two years, the young Thunder squad battled on to keep the club going.
A statement said: “Their legacy is one of resilience and a shared spirit, a powerful example of a community that, despite the hardship, refused to be broken.
“This was a team not forged by vast contracts or celebrity status, but by a deeper, more profound bond.
“They were a young group, many of them friends who had risen through the club’s Academy ranks, playing for the love of the game and the city they represented.
“With the club’s future hanging in the balance, they became the living embodiment of the Keelmen’s spirit.
“While their time together as a squad will come to an end, their contribution will forever be etched in the club’s history.”
The proposed graded fixture list will benefit Newcastle the most, with them finishing bottom of League One.
Their ten graded fixtures are all against clubs who played in League One last season.
Under a link-up with Super League new boys York Knights, numerous full-time players are likely to be made available for Thunder throughout the campaign.
New signings are expected to follow soon, after the permanent appointment of Graham Steadman as coach.
