Newcastle Falcons - Premiership 2024 - 2025 - The Diamond Era

First topic message reminder :

Director of Rugby (Non Rugby Matters): Matt Thompson
Head Coach & DOR (Rugby Matters): Steve Diamond
Performance Coach: Mark Laycock
Forwards Coach: Micky Ward
Defence Coach: Alan Dickens & Steve Diamond
Attack Coach: Alan Dickens
Lineout Coach: Scott Macleod
Breakdown: Micky Ward & Scott Macleod
Skills Coach: Mark Laycock
S&C: Tim Payne

Current Squad:

Hookers
Jamie Blamire (Leaving for tigers in summer)
Bryan Byrne
Ollie Fletcher (A)
Jacob Oliver (A)

Props
TH
Eduardo Bello
Murray MaCallum
Richard Palframan
Callum Hancock (A)

LH
Adam Brocklebank
Luin De Bruin
Mike Rewcastle (A)
Isaac Keller (A)
Connor Hancock (A)

Locks
Sebastian De Chaves
Kiran McDonald
Tim Cardall
Luke Coulston (A)
Adam Scott (A)
Fin Baker (A)

Back 5
Pedro Rubiolo
Philip van der Walt
John Kelly
John Hawkins

Back Row
Callum Chick
Josh Bainbridge
Tom Gordon
Freddie Lockwood
Ollie Leatherbarrow
Marcus Tiffin
Cameron Neild
[b]Reuben Parsons (A)
[b]Charlie Turnbull (A)

Scrum Halves
Sam Stuart
Hugh O'Sullivan
James Elliott
Max Pepper
Ben Douglas (A)
Joe Davis (A)

Fly Halves
Brett Connon
Kieran Wilkinson
Junior Newton (A)

Centres
Cameron Hutchison
Jack Metcalf
Sam Arnold
Connor Doherty (Season Loan from Sale)
Oli Spencer (A)
Rhys Beeckmans (A)

Wingers
Ben Stevenson
Alex Hearle
Adam Radwan
Nathan Greenwood (A)

Full Back
Tom Penny - To be confirmed staying or leaving
Louis Brown
Elliott Obatoyinbo
Ben Redshaw (A)

Apparently Wasps have lost £50m since their move to the midlands....

Scary...

GeordieFalcon wrote:Apparently Wasps have lost £50m since their move to the midlands....

Scary...

Wasps finances are odd even by rugby standards. Every time their bonds have a coupon due there's articles about potential bankruptcy but they keep getting paid.

There were rumours that SISU (Cov City owners) were buying up the £35m loan bonds. In that hypothetical if Wasps keep producing the cash for interest coupons they get paid and if Wasps can't the Ricoh would default to the bond holders. Win-win for Sisu.

Not my area of expertise though I'll admit so that is from reading others views on the situation late in 2020 when Wasps had around a £1.35m coupon due in November so discussion started swirling again.

I've really no idea from reading about their finances what Richardson's long term plan might be and whether it's working in any way!

IEC revenue for Wasps dropped from £9m to £1m. Not a great sign for the path ahead. The bond is due to be reissued in May 2022 and failure to do that would be catastrophic. If someone has been buying bonds (currently selling at £88 for every £100 owed and was as low as £65 per 100 in Jan 2021), they are either about to make a bit of money or own the stadium...

Things have to change up at KP...

In the pasdt we have said its down to budget issues and we cant afford a decent team etc...but that doesnt wash now...we HAVE a decent squad with players who have attacking impetus and forwards who can play a quick fast paced game.

So where is the issue....

Dean has been there 10 years...he does no coaching...he just decides on the tactics and on field style.

Dave Walder - Head Coach and Attack coach! First one for the cull...unless Deans instructions are countering what he wants to do.

Defence Coach - Nick Easter, defence has been pretty poor this season...horrendous more recently.

Lineout Coach - Scott Macleod, meh...Was a real weapon a few years back...but now...it stutters on.

Surely its time for some changes...i think we with Dean first...we need a younger more forward thinking head coach now.

We have players like Ben Stevenson, Adam Radwan, Iwan Stephenson, George Wakecoke (who barely plays ), Tom Penny (replaced by the woeful Mike brown) Mattias Carreras, and Orlando both Argentinian internationals....and plenty of others...so why do we play a one paced, shuffle the ball on to the wings, and back again style of rugby that is so predictable and boring its unreal....
It has to stop.

Jonathan Thomas has just left Worcester, I wonder if he could be one who is looked at as a young coach who could do more with free reign.

I suspect it will depend on when Dean's contract is up, ideally they'd be an agreement with him to just see it out to the summer then hand over and retire or step upstairs to a more admin job.

Something has to change Sam...and the academy is just pumping out talent now....

5 in the England u20 and 2 in the Scotland U20 this year.

We cant be wasting it all.

It's surely is an ambitious young coach's dream. With relegation suspended there's no immediate threat next season and no mass of expectation. A strip back to the bare bones and build up again approach ala Tigers and Glaws has scope to work. If the man at the top is brave enough.

Someones just posted a stat on the unoffy...apparently in the whole time Dean has been in charge we have never had a positive points difference...even in the season we were 4th it was -51.

Thats staggering...and pretty much sums up what im saying about our attack.

Looks like quite a few are out of contract this summer....some we HAVE to keep and some we HAVE to release. ...

Sgt...who would you keep?

Id do the following....

Hookers
George McGuigan 2022 - Release to Munster

Props
Adam Brocklebank 2022 - Keep
Kyle Cooper 2022 - Release

Locks
Marco Fuser 2022- Keep

Back Row
Connor Collett 2022 - Keep
Rob Farrar 2022 - Keep
Philip van der Walt 2022 - Release

Scrum Halves
Louis Schreuder 2022 - Release

Fly Halves
Brett Connon 2022 Keep as back up to WHW and Johnson
Toby Flood 2022 - Coaching now
Joel Hodgson 2022 - Release

Centres
Matias Orlando 2022Keep
Luther Burrell 2022 - Release

Wingers
Mateo Carreras 2022 - MUST KEEP
Iwan Stephens (A) 2022 MUST KEEP

Full Back
Tom Penny 2022 Keep
Alex Tait 2022 Release

Not too different from your list GF, maybe change a few.

I'd look to keep Schreuder (although I heard he's off to Wuss?) & Burrell and look to offload Collett.

Collett...i can see the for and against arguement.

I think we need to mix up the back row now. Too many "workhorses" ie Welch and Wilson at 6 & 7 now needs to stop.

We need a livewire 7..someone who can be a link man in attack also.

Collett could have been that but was just not favoured by richards...so now we look to the two Senior Academy lads...Pepper and Tiffen. Pepper is lightnight fast

We need to go down the route of a nice balance.

But we know Dean just doesn play kids....its all a waste.

Schreuder ah well if he goes he goes. Played a few good games but not much else.
Stuart is woeful.
Youngs barely played in a year...

So we have Kelemeti who should start next season and then Blackett the big hope in the academy.

So maybe we need another 9.

I rate Schreuder, some of best rugby has come with him at 9....totally agree on Young/Stuart who are both sub-standard.

I couldn't believe Collett was 26, I thought he was early 20's. He doesn't offer anything at this level imo and is unlikely to improve soon.

Yeah hes 26 now. I think he has played some good rugby, hes just never been consistently selected. Its always been the Wilson and Welch show.

Mark Wilson has announced his immediate retirement from rugby

Such a shame. A fantastic player at his peak and real stalwart for Falcons.

Real shame for it to come to an end for him so early. Sounds like he opted out rather than was forced out, hopefully it enables him to have a better balance at home. Tough player to replace he was a machine.

Yeah...Will go down as one of the falcons greats.

I wonder if this might make Wlll Welch think about things aswell....his body is broken aswell...

Just heard rhat Steve Black has died....sad news...he was some guy...

RIP Inga Tuigamala...one of our greats...

Gone too soon at 52.

oh man.

Awwww no way. He was class at Wigan too, as well as at Union.

Don't know where to add this but just saw that Joel Vidiri has also died at the all too young age of 48 (driven by kidney issues apparently, which has been seen before in AB wings)

Wow no way....this is getting silly

Steve Black, Inga the winger and Joeli Vidiri. A sad week for rugby.

Vidiri was part of the Auckland Blues around a time when they helped me fall in love with rugby. I was much more a cricket obsessive but played rugby at school. Our school had gap year students come over from a school in Auckland each year. One year the gap student living in our boarding house as a tutor was an avid Blues fan. His family would tape the games on VHS and post them to him to watch back. Rapidly I ended up watching them with him alongside a few other budding fans. They just played a glorious style of rugby in those days.

Lomu, Vidiri, Howlett, Muliana, Caucau, Rokocoko... Not all of them overlapped of course. For a good few years that back three was a seemingly endless stream of rugby magicians though.

Mike Brown will not be offered a new contract for next season. Hallelujah.....

Welcome to the race to the bottom.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Mike Brown will not be offered a new contract for next season. Hallelujah.....

He started well but has his form has dipped like pretty much everybody else to be fair. Hopefully he's give the young lads some invaluable advice off the pitch.

Hopefully Deano will join him....

Sgt_Pooly wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Mike Brown will not be offered a new contract for next season. Hallelujah.....

He started well but has his form has dipped like pretty much everybody else to be fair. Hopefully he's give the young lads some invaluable advice off the pitch.

Hopefully Deano will join him....

Absolutely mate....Dean needs to shuffle on now. Hes a dinosaur and his training methods are clearly dated.

10 years and its the same style of moronic rugby from when he started.

Better start writing letters to Kundi GF. Never been a better time for a rebuild. Just need a hungry young coach to come in and shake things up.

Thats exactly what we need Sam, and to bring the right coaching team in.

We have a real good solid core group in the squad...and a few England sqaud members...

You should be able to produce better on the pitch than we've seen for so long now.

PS....i not expecting top 4 or anything...i know we'll be in the bottom half...but i just want to see some decent rugby.

You've got quite a young squad of mostly homegrown players. If you can move on a few of the more experienced players that aren't pulling their weight you'll have some cash to spend on targeted quality additions. At this point it's props plus a sprinkling of quality wherever else you can find it, ideally one in the backrow to replace Wilson.

Skivington and Borthwick's work should provide a template to work from. Robinson plus your hookers should mean there's a good lineout in place. Add a better rolling maul and improve the scrum and it's set up for a good attack coach with your young 10s.

We shall see Sam, but theres die hard Dean fans now saying maybe its time for a change...

Lockwood is getting better every game, big future.

Yeah he looks another off the back row production line.

But he looks a much better carrier....Real heavy duty.

Add in Tiffen and Pepper...thw two young 7s and Chick, Collett (who I still really like) Basham etc and that's some real quality options.

Lockwood looks a bit special, rarely see such good carriers at 21 (Barbeary an obvious exception). He's got some wheels too....can see Eddie getting him in for a look sooner rather than later.

Yeah with Basham and Lockwood you look like you've got two go to options coming through. Lockwood certainly shifts for a big lad as well. Will they get a run to the end of the season or are the likes of Fearns and Graham back soon?

Fearns unlikely to be back Sam as he had a neck operation...Gary Graham is available.

I can see Will Welch being experienced back up next season....

I just hope Dean gets it right and sorts the tactics and coaching out

Sam,
I see Blackett has pretty much confirmed that Umaga will be focusing on Full Back going forward...and with Gopperth going leaves them with Atkinson.

WhW makes sense....Dean will not be a popular man.

I think the knives are well and truly out for Dean...season ticket holders refusing to renew now if he's still in charge....

Be interesting to see how the owner reacts as the dissatisfaction will get back him....he must know already..

GeordieFalcon wrote:Sam,
I see Blackett has pretty much confirmed that Umaga will be focusing on Full Back going forward...and with Gopperth going leaves them with Atkinson.  

WhW makes sense....Dean will not be a popular man.

Tommy Matthews is still at Wasps as well. Umaga is out of contract next summer, I wonder whether Blackett was lost faith in him and parking him at 15 for a season is just a good chance to advance 10 options he wants to keep before offloading Umaga next summer.

Dean last night pretty much confirmed the move last night at the Q and A session.

Also said Robbie Smith our young former Scotland U20 hooker and Captain is off to Saints. Genuinely disappointed with that one aswell..they're getting a good young player there. A young version of George McGuigan

He did say Mark Wilson will be offered a job as a coach.

McGuigan has another year on his contract.  So should be here next season and Blamire.

Add in Fletcher who's the England u20 hooker and Charlie Smtih the England u18 hooker..and we have a canny set of hookers...

Mike brown and Will Montgomery to Ealing aswell is the rumours...

Having two quality hookers, one of whom is available all season won't help Robbie Smith. Going to Saints who haven't quite settled on their preferred option. Maybe a little cash extra plus a better chance of first team rugby has swayed him. Given the ease in which you can bring in a Championship hooker to cover and given you've got age grade options as well it's not too bad a loss.

Particularly if his salary can be allocated to a greater area of need. Like prop.

Prop is an interesting one...i think we're fine at loosehead.

Brocklebank is really starting to make the 1 shirt his own with some very strong scrummaging performances now. Taken time, but hes come good.

Behind him we have Cade who we loaned to Doncaster and at 24 was one of the best LH's in the champs. Then of course we have the much vaunted Brantingham coming through also.

Tight head is a bit different.

Logo...must be 35...? And hes suffered injury issues...
Palframan was signed in the summer and then out for most of the season injured, and just returned over the last few weeks.
Davison is Deans go to first choice.
Then we have young Connor Kenny, a young irish lad who we signed in the summer and he also got injured... hes just returned on Saturday night for his first game.
Then there is a young academy lad Oscar Caudle, whos huge but not really appearing to come through.

So GF, Glasgow are coming calling on friday.

What sort of a team do you think Falcons will put out, are they still taking this competition seriously? They certainly struggled to put Zebre away.

Glasgow have just had a week off and all the internationals have had a rest now, so I would imagine will go fully loaded for this one.

We smashed Worcester the week before with the same side then were awful on Saturday...so litterally who knows BigGee.

Dean is taking this one very serious.

I expect a big beating.

Glasgow got an inconsistent element to them this year as well and have rarely looked great away from home.

I am not feeling so confident either!

GeordieFalcon wrote:Prop is an interesting one...i think we're fine at loosehead.

Brocklebank is really starting to make the 1 shirt his own with some very strong scrummaging performances now. Taken time, but hes come good.

Behind him we have Cade who we loaned to Doncaster and at 24 was one of the best LH's in the champs. Then of course we have the much vaunted Brantingham coming through also.

Tight head is a bit different.

Logo...must be 35...? And hes suffered injury issues...
Palframan was signed in the summer and then out for most of the season injured, and just returned over the last few weeks.
Davison is Deans go to first choice.
Then we have young Connor Kenny, a young irish lad who we signed in the summer and he also got injured... hes just returned on Saturday night for his first game.
Then there is a young academy lad Oscar Caudle, whos huge but not really appearing to come through.

Yeah I don't think your propping stocks are as bad as they looked a couple of years back but if you could land one quality addition with some cash freed up from trimming bits of the squad then it could help you big time. Kyle Cooper, Mulipola and Smith all heading out? That's got to free up a chunk of cash to go and sign another prop of decent quality. Not a big name but someone that can help build a platform.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Prop is an interesting one...i think we're fine at loosehead.

Brocklebank is really starting to make the 1 shirt his own with some very strong scrummaging performances now. Taken time, but hes come good.

Behind him we have Cade who we loaned to Doncaster and at 24 was one of the best LH's in the champs. Then of course we have the much vaunted Brantingham coming through also.

Tight head is a bit different.

Logo...must be 35...? And hes suffered injury issues...
Palframan was signed in the summer and then out for most of the season injured, and just returned over the last few weeks.
Davison is Deans go to first choice.
Then we have young Connor Kenny, a young irish lad who we signed in the summer and he also got injured... hes just returned on Saturday night for his first game.
Then there is a young academy lad Oscar Caudle, whos huge but not really appearing to come through.

Yeah I don't think your propping stocks are as bad as they looked a couple of yeary back but if you could land one quality addition with some cash freed up from trimming bits of the squad then it could help you big time. Kyle Cooper, Mulipola and Smith all heading out? That's got to free up a chunk of cash to go and sign another prop of decent quality. Not a big name but someone that can help build a platform.