Delany Delivers On Falcons Debut
It may have been a disappointing result for Newcastle Falcons in their final game of the Kings of The North competition, but there were many positives to take from the game.
One such point was the club debut of Fly Half Mike Delany after his arrival from Clermont over the summer.
Speaking after the game the New Zealander was particularly modest about his performance, saying: “I was definitely a bit rusty out there, it’s been a while since I’ve played and I was just getting used to the players around me but I’ve got to do better than that as well so I’ll take it on the chin and got to improve where I can and make sure we hit the ground running against Gloucester.”
Regardless of how he judged himself, Delany’s form on the evening impressed coaches and spectators alike, not least in front of the posts where he slotted home two long-range kicks.
Is that what Falcons fans can expect to see from the33 year old over the coming months? “There were some early flukes in there but we’ll just see what happens, I hope so!
“I’m keen to get out there and get amongst it and I know the boys are pretty confident too. There are definitely things we can improve on after tonight but nothing too major.”
For Delany himself it was a relief to be out on the field after being forced to wait a number of weeks for his club debut.
“I’ve been spending some time with the trainers, which hasn’t been great so I definitely needed that run out. I was blowing in the second half though so it was nice to get a wee breather rather than play the full 80 minutes.”
Friday’s game marked the Falcons’ fourth and final appearance in Kings of the North, a competition that saw them emerge without a single victory despite some good flowing rugby and much to be positive about heading into the new season.
“For the team, Friday’s match was probably a bit frustrating more than anything. We didn’t have a lot of ball and tended to be defending a lot. We let them get ahead a bit so we tended to be chasing the game but it’s just about fine tuning a lot of those areas.
“Everything’s been going good here and I’m confident we can bounce back from these early games. We’ve got to start asking ourselves to be better and putting pressure on each other, and really put in some good performances.”
The Falcons are next in action on Friday 16th October when they play Gloucester in their opening game of the 2015/16 Aviva Premiership season (ko 8pm).
Tickets for that game are available to buy now [online][1], in person from the Kingston Park Stadium Box Office or by calling the Falcons’ 24 hour Ticket Hotline on 0871 226 6060.
[1]: http://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/Pages/Tickets/info
