News
New Website Coming Soon !
3 weeks ago
01 August 2023
NEWCASTLE THUNDER 25 SWINTON LIONS 19
IAN RIGG at Kingston Park, Sunday 30 July
A try with less than thirty seconds left from Gideon Boafo snatched the points for Thunder in a pulsating encounter where the lead changed hands twice in the last two minutes. It was the Lions who had the better start forcing a goal line drop out in only the second set and from this Rhodri Lloyd was held up as he went for the left corner. Young Lions stand-off Will Roberts on dual registration from St Helens was controlling the game in the early minutes but he suffered a left leg injury on eight minutes going down in a tackle and had to be carried off on a stretcher. After this Thunder got more into the game and they had a couple of chances, but both ended up with the ball being knocked on near the line. Mitch Clark should have scored on twenty minutes but mis-read the pass from Jack Miller and again the ball went to ground. Jayden Hatton then had to clear his own line with Alex Young tracking him near the line. Thunder then opened the scoring on the half hour when a nice pass from Miller sent Gideon Boafo over in the corner, but he could not convert. Brad Gallagher and Rhodri Lloyd were both sent to the sinbin for fighting in the thirty-sixth minute and then Mitch Cox had a really good chance for the Lions when he chased a Jordy Gibson kick but the ball just ran away from him as he tried to score, but it was Thunder who stretched the lead in the final minute of the half when Connor Moore sold a huge dummy to the Lions defence and raced away to score by the posts with Miller adding the simple conversion.
The Lions had the best possible start in the second half getting on the scoreboard straight away when Jordan Case sent Kenny Baker through a gap and he sent Josh Eaves racing away under the posts with Gibson converting, but Thunder hit back again when Connor Bailey went through two attempted tackles to score under the posts and again Miller converted. The Lions were trying everything to score midway through the half, but the Thunder defence was frustrating them and it was the home side who went further ahead when Miller kicked a penalty for interference on sixty-five minutes but from the kick off the Lions hit back straight away when George Roby sent a nice short kick between the posts and Lewis Hall followed it to score and Gibson converted. Rob Tuliatu then gave away a penalty for obstruction and from the pressure the Lions forced a goal line drop out and from this it finished with Mike Butt scoring his one hundredth Lions try as he swallow dived into the right corner and Gibson converted to level the scores. The pressure was back on from the Lions and Gibson landed a drop goal to put them ahead with just over two minutes left but they also lost Josh Eaves in the build up to this having to be stretchered off with a leg injury. From the restart Thunder moved downfield and Nikau Williams also kicked a drop goal to again level the scores, but it was Thunder who snatched the victory with as the clock counted down and a lovely pass from Marcus Walker sent Boafo racing down the touchline with Mike Butt and Joey Romeo trailing in his wake to score on the left and Miller converted.
LIONS
26 Joey Romeo
2 Mike Butt
22 Andy Badrock
3 Jack Spedding
4 Jayden Hatton
31 Will Roberts
7 Jordy Gibson
8 Gav Bennion
30 George Roby
35 Lewis Hall
11 Rhodri Lloyd
12 Mitch Cox
6 Nick Gregson
Subs (all used)
14 Josh Eaves
15 Jordan Case
16 Gav Rodden
10 Kenny Baker
Tries: Eaves (43), Hall (67), Butt (74)
Goals: Gibson 3/3
Drop-Goal: Gibson 1
THUNDER
6 Alex Donaghy
2 Alex Young
5 Alex Clegg
3 Marcus Walker
20 Gideon Boafo
7 Nikau Williams
27 Jack Miller
8 Jay Chapelhow
9 Curtis Davies
10 Mitch Clark
17 Rob Tuiatu
12 Brad Gallagher
13 Connor Bailey
Subs (all used)
40 Evan Simons
14 Denive Balmforth
23 Connor Moore
18 Jake Lightowler
Tries: Boafo (30,80), Moore (39) Bailey (48)
Goals: 4/5
Drop-Goal: Williams -1
Penalty count: 7-6
Half-time: 10-0
Referee: Matt Rossleigh
Attendance: 889
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0,10-0,10-6,16-6,18-6,18-12,18-18,18-19,19-19,25-19