NEWCASTLE THUNDER coach Graham Steadman is as pleased with zeroes as he is with big points tallies.
The North-Easterners have produced two shows of strength in successive weeks, beating Keighley 72-0 then Rochdale 66-0.
Sitting second in the table, they have now won 13 of 16 league games and amassed more than 50 points in each of their previous five Championship outings.
“Defence has been a big focus for us,” said Steadman. “We know we have plenty of strike in our ranks, so stopping other teams scoring will always give us a great chance of winning.
“Against the stronger teams in the division, we have conceded more than we’d have liked, so we’ve been making a real effort to address that.”
Newcastle notched 14 tries against Keighley and twelve versus Rochdale, with Brad Ward scoring three and two in those respective games – taking the 23-year-old former York player’s league haul to 19.
This Saturday Whitehaven visit Blaydon in what Newcastle have designated an Armed Forces Day fixture.
It will be used to showcase both the club and Rugby League in the Armed Forces, and drive recruitment.
Thunder’s game starts at 4pm and will be preceded by a match between The Royal Navy and Scotland A.