6 May 2021
CONSISTENCY THE QUEST FOR NEWCASTLE THUNDER'S CLEGG
Newcastle Thunder’s Alex Clegg insists he and his team-mates can be a force to be reckoned with in rugby league’s Betfred Championship in 2021, with the young winger highlighting consistency of performance as the team’s main area of focus.
Currently sitting tenth in the table after four fixtures, Thunder opened their campaign with a thrilling 30-all draw with Widnes Vikings at the start of April and ended the unbeaten start of Sheffield Eagles in round three, but have also tasted defeat at the hands of Whitehaven and Batley.
Clegg though believes, the performance shown in those games to date have pointed towards a successful season for the Tyneside club.
“Being the new team coming up was always going to be tough against teams who have been in the division for years and it’s been mixed start.
“We know that we can play well from what we showed that against Sheffield and in the last 20 minutes against Widnes but we’ve been struggling to do that consistently and for a full game.
“The quality is there in the squad so it’s been frustrating because we know we can compete with these teams in the championship, but we have been working hard in training and when it finally all comes together, we should be more consistent week out.”
A graduate of the club’s academy Clegg has been part of the club’s first team since 2019, making him part of a core group of players who have welcomed 14 new faces into the changing rooms for Thunder’s return to rugby league’s second tier.
Having himself only played at League 1 and University level prior to this season, Clegg has enjoyed both gelling with his new team-mates and adapting to a higher level of the game.
“I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a step up from League 1, but it has been really good to get out there and test myself against some of the players and teams at this level.
“It’s also been good to get to know everyone and the new signings are all a good set of lads. They have created competition for places which has brought out the best in everyone. We’ve still got a core group of people like Kieran Gill, Joe Brown and Evan Simons who have come through over the years, but we have a great mix of people here and we want to do really well in the championship this season.”
Next up for Thunder is a trip to face former Super League outfit on Sunday as the take London Broncos, a team that has also had an inconsistent start to the new season and who Clegg says can provide Thunder with a good benchmark to measure their current standing in the pecking order.
“London is a really good game to test ourselves. The Broncos have had mixed results themselves and are on a similar sort of level to us so our performance against them at the weekend can give us an idea of where we are at. We’ll be working hard in training to give us the best possible chance of getting the win.”
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