Dream come true for Sam at St James’
IT was a dream homecoming for Geordie Sam Luckley as he marked a try with a nod to his Magpies hero after scoring at the Gallowgate end.
Although the Salford Red Devils ended up losing the match, it was a day to remember for rugby league star Luckley who celebrated a try with the customary Alan Shearer celebration that so many at the Gallowgate End will have come accustomed to seeing down the years.
Luckley grew up idolising the Toon in North Shields and was taking part in the Rugby League Magic Weekend in a match against Huddersfield Giants.
He evaded two opposition players to go under the posts as the Red Devils looked to claw their way back into the game after a disappointing first half at St James’ Park. Despite a spirited comeback, the efforts of Sam and his team-mates was not quite enough to stop their side falling to a 30-18 defeat.
Sam’s homecoming try represents the achievement of a boyhood dream after the 26-year-old came through the ranks playing for local amateur side Wallsend Eagles, before brief spells at both Hull KR and Huddersfield Giants academies.
After that, he returned to Tyneside to play for Newcastle Thunder, where he completed his undergraduate and master’s degree at Northumbria University, all while playing rugby league. After a move to Ottawa fell through due to Covid-19, he was signed by Salford.
The Magic Weekend returned to Newcastle this weekend after a two-year absence, seeing a whole round of Super League matches played over one weekend. The first Magic Weekend was held in 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, and has taken place at a number of venues since including Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Manchester City’s Etihad stadium and Anfield in Liverpool.
St James’ Park is in pole position to host Super League’s annual Magic Weekend again in 2023, according to the league’s chief commercial officer Rhodri Jones.
A total of 62,154 fans flocked to St James’ Park over the weekend, up on the 2021 two-day aggregate figure of 60,866.
It fell short of the record of 68,276, which was set in Newcastle in 2016, but was viewed as highly satisfactory in difficult economic times and seen as encouraging by organisers hoping to raise the profile of rugby league ahead of the World Cup opener between England and Samoa at St James’ Park on October 15.
“We’ll do the post-event review, internally with the clubs and also with Newcastle United and Newcastle council because they are part of the tripartite agreement we have here,” Jones said. “There is a view to come back here next year but we’ll only trigger that once we’ve done the review. It’s got everything you want it to have and the stadium location is an integral part of its success.”