WIDNES VIKINGS coach Allan Coleman says Newcastle have set a template worth following with the style of rugby which took them to the play-off preliminary finals.
Having pulled off an eye-catching 30-24 win at Oldham to set up their qualifying final against Thunder in the north-east, Coleman’s crew went down 34-16 at Blaydon.
That left Graham Steadman’s Newcastle, who finished second to Widnes’ fifth in the final table, through to the preliminary finals and within a win of the Grand Final and the Vikings facing another showdown with Oldham, this time at home in a so-called sudden-death tie, on Sunday.
“Of curse we wanted to win and go straight into the semis, but I’ve no qualms about the result against Newcastle – they were good value for the victory,” said Coleman, who lost experienced hooker Jordan Johnstone to a head knock late in the first half.
“JJ was clearly a big miss for us, both through his experience and leadership, but things like that happen and you have to find a way to adjust.
“Overall, we knew that after beating a quality side in Oldham, we needed to keep that standard up, but we didn’t quite manage it.
“We were lacking that bit of energy, our decision making wasn’t what it needed to be and we were second-best in too many areas.
“Newcastle are a good side, well coached, and I really like how they play. They don’t give you the ball much, and we let our completion level drop in the second half.
“They were better disciplined than us. We gave them too much possession, and they took advantage.
“In the second half especially, we sometimes had opportunities on tackle four or five, but took the wrong options.”