NEWCASTLE THUNDER chairman Keith Christie is realistic about his side’s chances against Wakefield Trinity in the 1895 Cup.
The two will lock horns on February 18 at Kingston Park, with Thunder already going down 114-10 to York Knights last weekend in Round One.
That fixture was the first one that Newcastle had faced since their relegation from the Championship in 2023 and the subsequent financial fallout that almost saw the club go under.
Since then Thunder, with the help Christie and his fellow board members, have made it to the start line with a head coach (Chris Thorman), a stadium (Kingston Park) and a brand-new squad.
That being said, it’s not exactly the easiest of tasks to come up against established Championship side York and then newly-relegated Wakefield in the 1895 Cup competition.
And Christie believes that Trinity will be a force to be reckoned with.
“Wakefield are a Super League club. At the end of the day, they have been an established Super League club for a long time and unfortunately one bad season dictates relegation,” Christie told League Express.
“I have no doubt that under the new ownership and the fantastic season ticket sales they have sold, they will have a good response and an opportunity to start to turn some heads and get back into Super League.
“They are a good, professional outfit. They have been in the northeast area identifying potential talent and as a club I wish them all the best. I think sometimes you have these falls and it’s how you react to them. I think they will react well.”
So how will Newcastle prepare for such a daunting task?
“You have to prepare both mentally and physically and Chris will do everything he can do to enable these guys to play to their best.
“We know it will be tough, we knew York was going to be tough. We don’t know how much will be between York and Wakefield but what a chance for players to prove themselves against players who have played Super League.
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