MATCH REPORT - SHEFFIELD EAGLES 34 - 20 NEWCASTLE THUNDER

Second half fightback not enough to get back to winning ways for Thunder

A second-half riposte came up short for Newcastle Thunder on Friday evening, as they were left to rue a costly first half sin-binning in a 34-20 loss to Sheffield Eagles. 

It was the metaphorical game of two halves at Featherstone Rovers' Millennium Stadium, but one where the hosts had managed to make the most of a man advantage to take the points. 

There was in-game adversity for Newcastle to overcome too, with Brad Day and Jack Johnson being withdrawn during the match as precautions against a tightening calf and hamstring respectively.

Thunder continued their recent habit of starting strongly and forced a spill from the Eagles on the first set of the game, earning an early attacking opportunity that they were unable to convert into points.

After repelling Sheffield’s opening set and again getting close to the try-line, Thunder opened their scoring after seven minutes through Alex Sutton.

The foundations were laid after Umyla Hanley slipped his way out of the tackle to delivery a strong kick return before strong carries through the middles gained further valuable yards and allowed Josh Eaves to lay on the scoring pass for the centre to muscle over.

Sheffield hit back almost immediately after being awarded a penalty close to the Thunder line but did so after being reduced to 12-men as Anthony Thackery was shown yellow for lashing out at a Thunder player at the play the ball.

Surprisingly, though the offence warranted the card to be brandished there was no reversal of the penalty, which allowed the hosts to play in Vila Halafihi from close range and a successful conversion to give the hosts the lead.

That advantage was doubled as Thunder attempted to force a breakthrough at the end of another good attacking set with a quarter played, as the visitors employed some off-the-cuff play to try and break the line.

With a loose ball cannoning around of legs and bodies of both sides, Eagles centre Kris Welham was the first to get a firm hold before an inside pass released Ben Jones-Bishop for a breakaway converted try.

After losing Lewis Peachey to the sin bin for a high tackle, the Eagles turned the screw with three back-to-back tries giving them the ascendancy in the game.

Restored to their full complement Thunder started the second half with real impetus and looked to have made an inroad through Hanley, but the winger’s try was ruled out for obstruction in the build-up.

A further flare-up saw both sides again reduced to 12-men, but this time it was Newcastle who better managed the situation with two tries in two minutes as the hour mark approached gave Thunder hope.

Try-scorer Sutton turned provider for Gideon Boafo for the first after a clever show and go from Jake Shorrocks allowed the visitors to inject some pace into their play, before a well-timed pass from Mitch Clark at the end of the next set freed Lewis Peachey for the second.

It became a two-try game with eight minutes to go as Sutton went in for his second try of the game, having opened the Eagles defence with a dummy pass, before wrong footing two defenders with a well-angled run.

It would be as close as Thunder would get to stealing the result however, with Sheffield managing to arrest the visitors’ momentum and keep Newcastle at bay before Jones-Bishop came up with a try with two minutes to go.

Newcastle Thunder

2 Jack Johnson, 31 Umyla Hanley, 23 Isaac Nokes, 28 Alex Sutton, 5 Gideon Boafo, 6 Jake Shorrocks, 18 Dan Coates, 15 Ted Chapelhow, 9 Josh Eaves, 10 Mitch Clark, 12 Brad Day, 20 Brad Gallagher, 14 Connor Bailey

Interchanges

8 Nathan Wilde, 21 Lewis Peachey, 26 Matty Nicholson, 25 Nathan Clemmitt

Tries - Sutton (7, 72) Boafo (57) Peachey (59)

Goals - Shorrocks 2/4

Sheffield Eagles 

27 Quentin Laulu-Togagae, 2 Ben Jones-Bishop, 19 Kris Welham, 21 Ryan Johnson, 5 Jason Bass, 6 Izaac Farrell, 7 Anthony Thackeray, 15 Mikey Wood, 14 Vila Halafihi, 10 Tyler Dickinson, 4 Ross Oakes, 12 Joel Farrell, 13 Evan Hodgson

Interchanges

28 Tom Holmes, 16 Blake Broadbent, 25 Kadeem Williams, 8 Brandon Douglas

Tries - Halafihi (12), Jones-Bishop (22, 32, 78) J Farrell (34) Thackeray (37)

Goals - I Farrell 5/6