NEWCASTLE THUNDER coach Graham Steadman says home wins are particularly important as the club works to pull in the punters at Blaydon.
The highly-experienced team chief firmly believes the north-east is a fertile region for Rugby League, and says playing an entertaining – and successful – style is key to his approach as he aims to help add to the fanbase and steadily grow the club.
The recent 44-18 victory over Keighley at Crow Trees, which Thunder share with Blaydon Rugby Union Club, was a fourth triumph in six in the league this year, but a first at home since September 2023, when Barrow were beaten 36-24 at Kingston Park.
At that time, Thunder were under the umbrella of Newcastle Falcons, the rugby union club where former Castleford coach Steadman had a three-year stint as defence coach from 2012 to 2015.
But after relegation from the old-style Championship that year, the Falcons withdrew their financial backing, with Thunder left to go it alone.
A fight for the survival of the club followed, and for two seasons, with squads put together on a shoestring, every match was lost as the team played at Kingston Park, then Gateshead International Stadium, before settling at Blaydon, on the south bank of the River Tyne.
Now under a new ownership model, things are picking up for the club, and Steadman, at the helm since June 21 of last year, believes there is more to come from his team.
“People always say it about Newcastle and this region, but the potential for growth is certainly here,” he said.
“The people up here are passionate about sport, and while it is football-led, I know from my time at the Falcons that there is interest in other areas, and that’s something we want to tap into.
“People want entertainment, and they want wins, so delivering them in home games is especially important.”
Having made it two wins on the bounce in Blaydon by beating Workington 38-8 on Sunday, climbing to fourth in the Championship by doing so, Newcastle next play at home on Sunday, April 19, against Batley in round one of the 1895 Cup.