NEWCASTLE THUNDER coach Graham Steadman is convinced the club has a place on the Tyneside sporting landscape – especially if they maintain their play-to-entertain policy.
After two seasons in the doldrums following the withdrawal of support from rugby union team Newcastle Falcons (now Red Bulls) in late 2023, which left Thunder fighting for survival, his charges finished second in the 2026 standings.
Thunder – now based at Blaydon Rugby Union Club on the south side of the River Tyne after a spell at Gateshead International Stadium following their departure from Kingston Park, the home of the rugby union club – beat Widnes 34-16 in a home play-off qualification final.
But with the Championship Grand Final a win away, they lost 33-18 in a preliminary final back at Crow Trees, so ending a 26th season since their formation as Gateshead Thunder (they became Newcastle for 2015 after coming under the union club’s control).
Former Castleford player and team chief Steadman, a Great Britain international, can include a three-year spell on the then-Falcons coaching staff from 2012 to 2015 on his CV, so knew the area well before becoming Thunder coach in June 2025 as part of a link-up with York, for whom he also has an assistant and consultancy role.
And the 64-year-old said: “I know this area has a lot of sports lovers, and I know or crowds were growing over the season.
“The people up here like to be entertained, and I’ll always have that in mind when I send a team out.
“Yes, you have to operate within certain systems and reference points, but I always encourage players to express themselves and as long as they’re playing at their maximum and not taking shortcuts, to play what they see.”
