Hunslet v Newcastle Thunder: Coach Gary Thornton’s sights set on automatic promotion

The Parksiders are fourth in the table and face a crucial home game against third-placed Newcastle Thunder tomorrow (3pm).

The league leaders will go straight into next season’s Championship with the teams from second to sixth playing off for the other promotion spot.

Thunder are one point ahead of Hunslet, who beat them 
32-18 in the north east in May.

Leaders Whitehaven are three points clear of the south Leeds club and Thornton said: “There are eight games left and if we win all eight we will finish top, because we play all the teams around us.”

But he warned: “It is the same for Newcastle, Whitehaven and Oldham.

“Whoever has the best end of season run will win it, but they will all be thinking the same thing.

“It is not going to be easy, but we’ve got eight cup finals and if we win all eight we will go up as champions.”

Hunslet have had two weeks to prepare since a 72-10 win at bottom club West Wales Raiders.

Thornton admitted the long build-up is a double-edged sword.

“It is a massive game,” he said of tomorrow. “I’m a bit disappointed with the stop-start nature of this season, fixture-wise.

“It is difficult to get any continuity, we play, then have a week off, play, then have two weeks off.

“But it has given us two weeks to look at Newcastle and prepare for them. They are on the back of three really good wins against Whitehaven, Doncaster and Workington and we have to stop that roll and get on a roll ourselves.

“We have got Whitehaven and Oldham to play at home and we have got to start building some form and making it a bit of a fortress.”

The break has given Josh Tonks and Charlie Martin time to get over injuries, but Jack Lee is rated as 50-50 because of ankle damage and captain Duane Straugheir is facing a long layoff with an Achilles problem.

“That’s a bit of a blow,” Thornton conceded. “He has not had a great season injury-wise.”