Newcastle Falcons VS Northampton - Programme

ALEX TAIT
The changing of the guard at Newcastle Falcons sees a wealth
of experience leaving the building at the end of the season, with
homegrown hero Alex Tait admitting it has been a ‘special’ 17
years for him.
The 35-year-old has touched down 40 tries in his 269 games
for the club since making his debut as a fresh-faced teenager
in central Spain, with only Will Welch, Tom May and Micky Ward
making more appearances for the Falcons in their professional
history.
Tait and Welch will both receive the applause of the Kingston Park
faithful before they embark on the next chapter of their careers,
with the former saying he hopes to be remembered as somebody
who always put in a shift.
“I’m not massively comfortable talking about myself, if I’m honest,
because I’ve never been what you would call a ‘stardust’ player,”
says Tait when asked to put into words the impression he has left
on the club.
“I’m more the cliché of the local grafter who’ll give 100% for the
team, and I’m steady away rather than taking all the headlines.
“That’s not always what you want because you need those
X-factor players to put bums on seats or produce a moment of
magic, but maybe I’ve complemented those guys over the years
and helped those opportunities to come about.
blessed to have been in that position.
“I’M STEADY
AWAY RATHER
THAN TAKING
ALL THE
HEADLINES.
“I’ve played alongside some special players when you think of a
Sinoti, a Radwan or a Niki Goneva to name just a couple, and just
to be in that kind of company is something I’ll always treasure.
“I suppose I’d like to be remembered as someone who always
put their all in and worked hard for the shirt. Hopefully I’ve done
justice to the support I received from our fans over the years,
because it’s meant the world to me, and then off the field I hope
people will understand or appreciate that I always tried to make a
positive contribution.”
With typically self-deprecating humour, the County Durham native
jokes: “The club means a huge amount to me, and I suppose I’ve
been institutionalised!
“Getting to hang around with your mates all day, playing the
game you love and seeing some great parts of the world – I can’t
complain, really.
“I’ve played with and against loads of great players – I won’t start
naming them because I’m bound to forget loads – and I’ve enjoyed
testing myself at that level. Not everyone gets to say that, and
then the fact I’ve been able to do it for so many years – I feel really
“My body has been able to handle it for the most part, and I’ve been lucky
enough to be wanted by the club throughout my career. Maybe you could
say the coaches are daft for giving me contracts, but it’s been a huge part
of my life and I’ve always taken a lot of pride in playing for my local club.”
Rewinding back to the very start of his Falcons journey after playing for
Consett Minis and Barnard Castle School, Tait explains: “I first got involved
with the Falcons at under-15s level through the county stuff, and I actually
had a year out due to a back operation when I was 16. The Falcons were
really good at supporting me through that difficult period, and you don’t
forget that kind of thing.
“They must have thought I was reasonably alright to put that much faith
in me during such a serious injury, and once I was fit again I progressed
through the England age-group stuff and the Falcons’ senior academy,
and eventually the first team.
“I remember my first involvement in the adult side of the club was an
A-League game over at Penrith Rugby Club, and I was absolutely crapping
myself thinking ‘I’m out of my depth here, I’m not good enough to play at
this level’.
“The game went fine which gave me a bit of confidence, and then I played
for the Falcons at the Langholm 7s on the Scottish Borders circuit while I
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