BETTS LAMENTS BRONCOS PERFORMANCE

Newcastle Thunder director of rugby Denis Betts offered a frank assessment following his side’s 0-44 loss to London Broncos.

Thunder’s boss gave full credit to the efforts of the visitors who recorded a fifth win in eight matches as they continued their recent upswing in form and lamented his side’s missed opportunities, particularly from early in the game.

Speaking post-match, Betts said: “It’s a very, very disappointed group from staff, from players, from everyone who is involved with the group.

“The score line today flattered us because if London had had a goal kicker it could have looked a lot worse.

“At some stages in the game, we had some chances that we didn’t convert into points and those missed earlier on might have given us some confidence.

“Confidence grew into the London side and the way that they play, throwing the ball around and attacking with some flair really hurt us late on in the game.”

Thunder’s cause wasn’t helped by the loss of half-back Dan Coates after just two minutes and the loss of prop Ollie Roberts early into the second half.

The injuries not only forced a hasty redeployment of on-field personnel on the day but also present a further headache as Newcastle prepare for the visit of league-leaders Leigh Centurions this Sunday.

Betts added: “We ended up losing two players throughout the game and ended up with people playing out of position.

“The players we lost won’t play next week, that’s for sure which makes it very difficult. We started today with 18 fully fit players so now we’re down to 16.

“I feel for Coatesy because he didn’t get a chance to get out there and show himself. It looks like a dislocated kneecap and then we have lost Ollie Roberts with a torn hamstring.

“It’s a tough thing to take but that doesn’t give us an excuse for what we dished up today and how poor our whole group was. Throughout this last part of the year, some players have really, really struggled.”