Our new coaching team named summer signings Adam Balding and Spencer Davey in the starting line-up, the former at blindside with Phil Dowson captaining the side from 8, whilst Danny Williams was on the bench alongside, for the first time in a few games, Joe McDonnell and 13 others.

The Falcons actually started the game well with some inventive back play and Carl Hayman leading a strong-looking pack, and a penalty from Rob Miller got the season’s scoring underway. Tom Dillon scored our first try of the season, but the conversion didn’t go over.

Western Force then began to take control, and Rob Vickers, on as an early replacement for Andy Long, had to scamper back to take a loose ball by the post and prevent an away score. Our defence held out pretty well for a long time, and occasionally Ollie Phillips and John Rudd looked to make inroads up field to break, although never really for long.

Our visitors finally got their reward at the end of the first half when Matt Hodgson forced his way over the line, Rob Debney looking for a second or two before awarding the try, but the conversion missed again leaving us 8-5 up at the break.

Leading and playing badly, it’s the sign of a great team. And spirits were further raised as the legend known as God, Matthew Burke took to the pitch at half time to receive huge applause from over 3,000 fans and say a few words of farewell.

The second half certainly began badly, with two early tries from Western Force centre Junior Pelesasa, both being converted by jinky teenage fly-half James O’Connor. The second of these scores was particularly galling, as two defenders just split and opened a gap for Pelesasa to run through. So now we are not missing tackles - we are not even getting near!

The Falcons didn’t lie down though, and from a scrum on the five metre line Force prop AJ Whalley was sin-binned. A replacement prop appeared for number 8 Filipe Manu, who tried to come back on but eventually did stay off the field (at least temporarily).

The Newcastle scrum, now refreshed with Joe McDonnell and David Wilson in the front row, rumbled towards the Force line, and after being reset again, the referee finally lost all patience and awarded a penalty try, replacement fly-half Steve Jones knocking over the conversion.

Manu returned to the field after just a couple of minutes off, causing outrage amongst fans who were unaware of our and Western Force’s coaches entente cordiale. It was funny hearing fans chant one-to-fifteen though! The humour was short-lived however with O’Connor knocking over two penalties to end the scoring.

As more replacements came onto the pitch, we had a first look at Danny Williams, who looks to have pace but overall didn’t get too much of a chance to shine I didn’t think. Except at the end of the game, when he booted a high ball into the middle of the pitch, chased and lost possession. This guy hasn’t been at KP long enough for Jamie Noon to know who he is, yet we’ve already brainwashed him into kicking first and asking questions later.

So we begin the season with a 15-25 defeat against a mid-table Super 14 side missing a number of internationals. I think we might’ve done better last night had Wilkinson and Noon been playing, to keep the backs calm and make them think more intelligently rather than continuing to kick and pop-pass when we were struggling to retain possession, and the pack looked solid, so for a first game it wasn’t a complete disaster.

However, if we do not improve over the next month before Sale, I don’t think many people will see us as capable of finishing 11^th or above.

Last word should be for Matthew Burke however. As a team we wasted the four years he was here by not being able to participate more in the Heineken Cup, and it is likely to be a long time before we have another full-back as good as God, if ever.

But I’d like to use this platform to, I’m sure, speak for all Falcons fans and wish Matt all the best for the future, and thank him for giving us four years of his career and life. As I said to him last night, it has been an honour to have him play for us, and to watch him in the shirt we love, and he is a true Falcons legend in every sense of the word.

Not just a great player, but a great man too.