The factory that was once the biggest producer of canned meat in the country, sending its wares all around the world, might have long gone.
But one of Rugby League’s most ambitious and progressive clubs is working hard to further beef up its operation to establish a new and strong Tyne brand.
While the well-known company of that name’s old base in North Shields is now a derelict eyesore, having been empty for more than 40 years, ten miles or so to the East, Newcastle Thunder are thriving at Kingston Park.
Last season, the smart 10,200-capacity stadium, which they have shared with the top-flight rugby union club Newcastle Falcons since 2015, staged Championship Rugby League for the first time.
With the pandemic putting paid to a normal campaign featuring promotion and relegation in 2020, Thunder beat Barrow Raiders, Doncaster, Rochdale Hornets and Workington Town in a bidding process to be elevated from League 1 some 14 months ago.
They took the Championship place of Leigh Centurions, who moved into Super League by the same method to replace Toronto Wolfpack, who were denied re-entry after pulling out midway through their maiden season.
Toronto’s journey from the third tier to the top table is one the North-East club want to emulate, albeit on more solid foundations and, if necessary, over a longer timescale, with ‘by 2030′ the stated mission.
The starting point can pretty much be traced back to early 2015, when Gateshead Thunder, established as a phoenix in late 1999 after the Super League club of that name merged with and relocated to Hull, was bought out by the 15-a-side Falcons.
They moved from South to North of the Tyne, returning professional Rugby League to Newcastle for the first time since just before the Second World War, when a club existed for two seasons, finishing 29th out of 30 in 1936/37 and 28th out of 29 in 1937/38.
While expanding commercially, Thunder have invested in their top-category Academy as well as first team and established strong links with their local community clubs.
They are at the pinnacle of a healthy Rugby League scene in the region.
And further boosts are set to come from the return of Super League’s Magic Weekend to Newcastle United’s iconic city-centre St James’ Park on July 9/10 (Thunder are set to play their Championship game against Bradford at Kington Park as a Friday-evening appetiser) and the use of both those venues during this Autumn’s World Cup.
Having achieved reasonably comfortable survival in their first second-tier campaign since 2009 – it was also Eamon O’Carroll’s first as coach after succeeding Simon Finnigan – the club in November took the significant step of turning full-time, having moved to a hybrid system as last season progressed.
Former Ireland prop O’Carroll, working with director of rugby Denis Betts, under whom he played at both Wigan Warriors, with whom Thunder have a dual-registration partnership, and Widnes Vikings, has had the chance to reshape his squad accordingly.
It hasn’t been a seamless transition, with both forward Kyle Trout and back Thomas Minns due to be part of the player pool, only to depart during pre-season (they are now at Featherstone and Wakefield respectively).
But the 39-year-old former Catalans Dragons assistant coach is working with a 26-strong senior squad that includes several Academy-produced players and 14 new signings.
Twelve of them, backs Craig Mullen (from Leigh), Australian Jesse Dee (Mackay Cutters), Gideon Boafo (London Broncos) and Connor Bailey (Wakefield) and forwards Josh Eaves (on loan from St Helens), Pat Moran (London Broncos), Alex Foster and Lewis Peachey (both (Castleford), Brad Gallagher and Sam Hallas (both Bradford) and Mitch Clark and Matty Nicholson (both Wigan, the latter on loan) featured in the Championship opening-round clash at promoted Workington, who themselves are coached by a proud Geordie in Chris Thorman.
And after taking three attempts to notch the first of their seven victories last season, O’Carroll’s charges returned from West Cumbria having won 20-6.
They were then handed a gauge of the level they need to reach to be in play-off contention by Batley Bulldogs, who, having made last season’s semi-finals, came to Kingston Park and won 32-14.
But Betts and O’Carroll have never claimed success was going to happen overnight, with an improvement on last year’s final placing of eleventh their priority.
It’s going to be an interesting campaign.
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