Newcastle Thunder
 | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Newcastle Thunder Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Thunder |
| Short name | Newcastle |
| Website | thunderrugby.com |
| Colours |
 |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
|
| CEO(s) | Keith Christie |
| Coach(s) | Mick Mantelli |
| Captain(s) | TBC |
| Competition | League 1 |
| 2014 Championship 1 | 4th |
| Records | |
| Challenge Cups | Quarter finalists (2009) |
| National League Two | 1 (2008) |
| Most capped | 217 - Robin Peers |
| Most points | 389 - Paul Thorman |
Newcastle Thunder is a professional rugby league club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in the Kingstone Press League 1 competition, the third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom. They play their home matches at Kingston Park, also home to rugby union side Newcastle Falcons.
Newcastle Thunder was founded in 2000 as Gateshead Thunder as a replacement for the original Gateshead Thunder club that had merged into Hull F.C. after only one season in the Super League.
Newcastle is the only professional rugby league club in North East England. The club have won one championship during their run, in 2008. They have a partnership with Super League side Hull Kingston Rovers, are coached by Stanley Gene and have a number of high profile internationals in their squad including Jason Tali and Mark Mexico.
History
2014-present: Newcastle Thunder
Stanley Gene took over as Head Coach of Gateshead Thunder in the 2014 season. Thunder were taken over by Newcastle Rugby Limited, owned by rugby union side Newcastle Falcons' chairman Semore Kurdi, in March 2014. The club were rebranded in January 2015 as the Newcastle Thunder and applied for permission to use Kingston Park in Newcastle as their home ground.[1]
Colours and badge
Colours
The Thunder adopted the colours of the original club, playing in a predominately purple home kit with a white V and a black and white stripped away kit with a nod towards traditional Newcastle colours that Newcastle United play in.
Badge
The clubs first badge as Gateshead had Thunder underneath it with the N styled as a bolt of lightening and a purple face, facing right. The new Newcastle Thunder badge is very similar that it has Thunder with the N as a bolt of lightening and Newcastle above it, replacing Gateshead and the purple face has been removed, the logo looks more modern and updated.
Stadiums
2001-2014: Gateshead International Stadium
The new club moved into the Gateshead International Stadium, known as the Thunderdome, in 2001 as it was previously occupied by the original Newcastle club. The stadium is a multipurpose venue with athletics, American football and association football being hosted at the stadium, with Gateshead Harriers, Gateshead Senators and Gateshead F.C. occupying the stadium. In 2006 a move to Kingston Park was mooted after a fall out with the local council who own the stadium.
2015-present: Kingston Park
In 2015 rugby union club Newcastle Falcons bought Gateshead and moved the club to Newcastle Upon Tyne to share their ground, Kingston Park which has a larger attendance than the Thunderdome. The ground also has excellent facilities as the Falcons play in the rugby union Premiership.
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
| Years | Kit Manufacturer | Main Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Avec | Northern Electrics |
| 2000-2001 | exito | none |
| 2004-2005 | Halbro | |
| 2006 | Nike | none |
| 2010 | XBlades | GMC Transport Limited |
| 2011-2012 | Puma | |
| 2013 | Stag | Jack Coupe and Sons |
| 2014 | Gateshead College | |
| 2015- | Impact | Gizmowizard |
Past coaches
- Paul Fletcher
- Rob Jones
- Seamus McCallion
- Dean Thomas 2005-06
- Dave Woods 2006-09
- Chris Hood
- Steve McCormack
- Chris Hood 2010
- Richard Pell 2011
- Kevin Neighbour
- Stanley Gene 2014–2015
2016 squad
* Announced on 29 February 2016:
| No | Player | Position | Former club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Reudiger | Full Back | Queanbeyan Blues |
| 2 | Ali Blair | Wing, Centre | Wallsend Eagles |
| 3 | Derrell Olpherts | Centre | Hemel Stags |
| 4 | Josh Atkinson | Centre | Queanbeyan Kangaroos |
| 5 | Peter Fox | Wing | Doncaster RLFC |
| 6 | Benn Hardcastle | Stand Off | York City Knights |
| 7 | Ben Thorburn | Half Back | Souths Logan Magpies |
| 8 | Vincent Rennie | Prop | Canterbury Bulldogs |
| 9 | Evan Simons | Hooker | Hemel Stags |
| 10 | Matt Barron | Prop | York City Knights |
| 11 | Jason Payne | Second Row, Back Row | Castleford Tigers |
| 12 | Rhys Clarke (VC) | Second Row | Barrow Raiders |
| 13 | Lee Paterson | Loose Forward, Back Row | York City Knights |
| 14 | Paddy Hargreaves | Hooker | Whitley Bay Barbarians |
| 15 | Joe Brown (C) | Centre | Doncaster RLFC |
| 16 | Fran Welsh | Prop | Young Cherrypickers |
| 17 | Josh Stoker | Prop | Gateshead Panthers |
| 18 | Dan Turland | Second Row, Back Row | Gateshead Storm |
| 19 | Aaron Teroi | Half Back | Melbourne Storm |
| 20 | Josh Kittrick | Half Back | Doncaster RLFC |
| 21 | Dan Parker | Centre | Coventry Bears |
| 22 | Sam Luckley | Prop | Wallsend Eagles |
| 23 | Zach Clark | Full Back | Jarrow Vikings |
| 24 | Gioele Celerino | Prop | North West Roosters |
| 25 | Harry Aldous | Second Row | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Lee Fewlass | Prop | Gateshead Panthers | |
| Ryan Millington | Prop | South Wales Scorpions | |
| 28 | Craig Cook | Hooker | Oxford RLFC |
| Craig Boot | Back Row | Bramley Buffaloes | |
| Julien Lasserre | Full Back | AS Carcassonne | |
| HC | Mick Mantelli | Head Coach | Italy |
| AC | Michael Heap | Assistant Coach |
2016 transfers
Gains
| Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 Darrell Olpherts | Hemel Stags | 1 Year | October 2015 |
 Ben Thorburn | Souths Logan Magpies | 1 Year | October 2015 |
| Dan Parker | Coventry Bears | 1 Year | November 2015 |
| Josh Atkinson | Queanbeyan Kangaroos | 1 Year | November 2015 |
| Peter Fox | Doncaster RLFC | 1 Year | November 2015 |
 Julien Lasserre | AS Carcassonne | 2 Years | December 2015 |
| Josh Kittrick | Doncaster RLFC | 1 Year | December 2015 |
| Harry Aldous | Hull Kingston Rovers | 1 Year | December 2015 |
 Lee Paterson | Rochdale Hornets | 1 Year | December 2015 |
| Ryan Millington | South Wales Scorpions | 2 Years | January 2016 |
| Tom Reudiger | Queanbeyan Blues | 2 Years | January 2016 |
 Aaron Teroi | Melbourne Storm | 1 Year | January 2016 |
| Craig Cook | Oxford RLFC | 1 Year | January 2016 |
 Gioele Celerino | North West Roosters | 1 Year | January 2016 |
Losses
| Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matty Beharrell | Swinton Lions | 1 Year | September 2015 |
 Jason Tali | Doncaster RLFC | 1 Year | October 2015 |
 Jordan Meads | Australia | 2 Years | October 2015 |
| Mark Mexico | Sheffield Eagles | 2 Years | October 2015 |
| Louis Sheriff | Doncaster RLFC | 1 Year | November 2015 |
| Stuart Kain | Released | ||
| Ryan McDonald | Released | ||
| Alex Ruff | Released | ||
| Iain Murray | Released | ||
| Connor Clayton | Released | ||
| James Pocklington | Released |
Records
Player records
- Correct to end of 2005 season.
- Most tries in a match: 5 by Andy Walker vs London Skolars 22 June 2003
- Most points in a season: 246 by Chris Birch, 2005
- Most career tries: 36 by Kevin Neighbour, 2001-date
- Most career goals: 137 by Paul Thorman, 2001–2004
- Most career points: 365 by Paul Thorman, 2001–2004
Team records
Former players
Honours
- National League Two Champions: 2008
Juniors
Gateshead run a junior team in the Gillette National Youth League.
References
- ↑ "Newcastle Thunder: Gateshead rugby league side relocates". BBC Sport (BBC). 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
External links
- Gateshead Thunder on YouTube
- National League website
- Gateshead Thunder forum on rlfans.com
- Gateshead Thunder Fans Forums – RugbyLeague.org
- Gateshead Thunder forum on lasttackle.com
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