The Newcastle Eagles tipped off their third successive European North Basketball League campaign on Tuesday night in The Vertu Arena. Their opponents and visitors were a familiar rival making their first trip to Newcastle, Dziki Warszawa of Poland’s top-flight Oblen League.

Newcastle had actually crossed swords with The Poles twice last season in the 2024/25 season. Eagles winning the Group Stage game 79 – 70 in Poland and then following that up with an 80 – 67 in the Final Four semi-final match-up in Bratislava.

But only two Eagles, Cole Long and the welcome return of veteran captain Darius Defoe after a long injury lay-off had played in those games. Whilst for Dziki they also only had two players Grzegorz Grochowski their captain and Michal Aleksandrowicz who had been on the 2024/25 roster.

In the end it was Warszawa that stopped the Eagles making it three-in-a-row and took a third time ‘lucky’ win in front of the watching Newcastle fans. ‘Lucky’ only in essence of the saying as there’s no doubting at all that by the end of the forty minutes Dziki more than deserved their win.

The 23-point margin was Newcastle’s highest defeat in this their third campaign in The ENBL and the first time they have ever lost a home Group game. It also completed a tough three games in five days schedule for Head Coach Marc Steutel’s team as they went down to a fifth successive defeat.

There was little hint that the final score line would be so emphatic in Warszawa’s favour after a fiercely contested tough physical first half. But the Polish side came out super strongly in the second twenty minutes and produced a powerful poised purposeful performance to take the road victory.

The Eagles started Maceo Jack, Mitch Clarke, Emmanuel Kanwei, Cole Long and Marco Anthony who came in to the first five replacing Malcolm Smith who had started on Sunday in a much improved team performance, albeit a loss at Cheshire on Sunday.

Newcastle also had new signing guard Deion Hammond on the bench for the first time in The Vertu Arena and Defoe suited up and ready to play after an injury that has kept him out since March of last season.

The early going was tough for both times as they struggled to make baskets against each other’s strong defensive stands. It was though the visitors who made the slightly better start with Dontay Caruthers pulling the strings and their forwards looking strong inside the paint.

Dziki established a six-point lead at 10 to 4 but Hammond off the bench and Long combined for triples in a run that got Eagles back level at 12-points each. But in a trend that was to continue for a lot of the game Warszawa responded and went back up by six points.

Ray’Sean Taylor countered with a triple to cut the gap back to three but centre Lukas Frackiewicz came off the bench with energy and presence and his contributions enable his side to take the first period by 22 points to 15.

Frackiewicz continued that as the second quarter opened netting the first four points to put the away side up by nine. An 8 – 2 counter run by Newcastle inspired by Kanwei with five and a Hammond triple once again cut the gap to 3 before Dizik responded again to go seven-up.

Then Jack got going for The Eagles and with Defoe coming on to anchor the defence and show a real leadership presence Newcastle stormed back and levelled the game at 34 points all. A Tahlik Chavez triple edged the Poles back in front but Defoe made two of two from the free-throw line in response.

They were the last points of a highly competitive first twenty minutes with the teams heading for the locker rooms and Dziki leading by a single point. A much anticipated final two quarters to play and at that stage no-one could have predicted a winner.

Jack scored the first two points of the third period to give Newcastle a one-point lead at 38 – 37. Little did they and the fans in The Arena realise it was to be as good as it got for The Eagles as they were hit by a wave of defensive stops from Dziki.

Time after time they got in the passing lane to pick balls off. Eagles missed shots and Warszawa grabbed rebounds and were off and running to great effect. They ripped off a 13 – 0 run that gave them total control of the game from almost nowhere as they capitalised on Newcastle turnovers.

Steutel had to call two time-outs in the third. Jack ending that first Polish run with a triple but another 8 unanswered points put the visitors up by 19. Taylor made back-to-back triples as Eagles looked to haul themselves back into the contest.

But when Rivaldo Soares tripled with the last bucket of the third it meant his side had a fifteen-point advantage at 55 to 70 to take into the final period. It had been a real demonstration of intent and power from Dziki who had taken the quarter 30 to 19.

They continued that momentum as the final stanza opened scoring the first seven points of the period to take their lead up to 22 points and there was simply no way back for a Newcastle side that looked tired after their tough, tough schedule. The Dziki lead peaking at 25 points at one stage.

It was a sobering defeat for Steutel’s men and they have plenty to reflect and ponder on. They also have ten days break now before they face Bristol Flyers in the SLB at home on Friday 31^st October. They will then fly out to Greece to take on Iraklis in their next ENBL encounter.

The break will give Steutel and his assistant Roberto Fois plenty of time to consider their options and hopefully come up with the solutions to arrest a concerning Eagles run of five consecutive defeats.