After two very strong wins against divisional rivals last time out, all eyes were on the high-ranking battle between the Blackhawks vs Waveney Wolves.
But while the Blackhawks emerged from that one with the win they wanted, they walked straight onto a banana skin in the form of the Nottingham Honey Badgers. How will that affect the rankings at the end of the season?
Here’s how it panned out:
Game photos by Saskia Köttler (Click here for full album)
Touchdowns – Ross Conley 2 / Jack Mulholland 2 / Josh Gargan 1
Interceptions – Conor Joyce 2 / Taylor Walton
So here it was: The big one. A cross-conference game against another team that was absolutely flying in their division, with potential seeding at stake.
Buoyed by big wins against both Giants Blue and the Samurai last time out, the Blackhawks were looking to make a statement against the Waveney Wolves. Both teams exchanged defensive stops on their opening drives of the game, with an interception by Conor Joyce in the end zone for the Hawks, while the offense were stopped inches short on their own drive. Scores were then exchanged to level the game at 7-7, before the Wolves had a chance to score again on the final full drive before halftime to take a 14-7 lead into the half.
The Hawks started with the ball and scored with a second touchdown of the game to Ross Conley. The second half followed the pattern of the first, with both teams exchanging scores and converting all their XPs. The Hawks scored their fourth touchdown just before the two-minute warning, electing to go for one to tie the game. A result like this would allow them to maintain the gap ahead of their divisional opponents in the race of the two promotion playoff spots.
This was successful, leaving the game at 28-28 with the Wolves back with the ball.
However, it got even better for Newcastle. A bold defensive call on third down paid dividends, with Conor Joyce snagging his second interception of the game. And the offense delivered, allowing the Hawks to take their first lead of the game with little time left on the clock. Despite an admirable drive with time running out, the Wolves were unable to punch the ball in and the game ended as a 34-28 victory for the Blackhawks.
Touchdowns – James Newton 2 / Ross Conley / Jack Mulholland
Interceptions – Mark Essam / Taylor Walton
Spirits were high from a late win against some high-quality rivals. But the Blackhawks had one more game to play. And the Nottingham Honey Badgers were not a team to be overlooked.
The Blackhawks won the toss and deferred, allowing the Honey Badgers to start with the ball. Both teams started fast on offense, with scores on their opening drives. The Hawks were the first to stall, stopped in the red zone on their second drive just outside of the 2-minute warning. But on the following play, a fantastic interception by blitzer Mark Essam gave the offense the ball back deep in the red zone. A touchdown to James Newton followed, and then a two-pointer to Josh Gargan gave the Hawks a 14-13 lead.
However, the Badgers managed to return fire, reclaiming a 19-14 lead before halftime.
Following three halves of effective offense, things started promisingly for the Hawks with a second touchdown to James Newton on the opening drive for a 21-19 lead. After being denied a safety on a questionable call, the defense were unable to stop the Badgers scoring on the following drive.
It was at this point that the offense started to struggle, failing to achieve a first down on their next two drives – although the defense stiffened to stop the Badgers offense either side of these drives.
As time slipped away, the Blackhawks gave away a deep turnover which was returned to the edge of their red zone. The Badgers duly converted, taking a 31-21 lead as the two-minute warning came. A quick score, then a defensive stop, left the Hawks with the ball and no timeouts and 16 seconds to turn things around. This briefly seemed possible after two plays and huge gain by Jack Mulholland, which was chalked off for an impeding-the-blitzer penalty. A last-gasp hail mary attempt failed, consigning the Hawks to their second loss of the season (both against Nottingham teams) and a 12-2 record.
MVPs for the day were Jack Mulholland for Offense, and Conor Joyce for Defence.
NEXT UP:
The Newcastle Blackhawks play the Roosters and Longhorns in cross-conference play on July 13 in Bradford. The CFL team face off against the Ducks, Samurai, Locomotives and Ravens on June 30.