Friday’s game against Gloucester marks the final one at Kingston Park for captain Callum Chick and hooker Jamie Blamire, two Newcastle stalwarts, who are heading to Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers respectively next season.
It continues a talent drain of homegrown players from the club, which included Adam Radwan’s move to the Tigers in mid-season, which Diamond said were all in the best interests of those individuals, given the current circumstances.
Newcastle have shipped 130 points in losing their two most recent games away to Bath and Saracens as the gulf between them and the Premiership’s best sides has been exposed.
But before that they were on the wrong end of close games with Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints.
“We should have won at Exeter,” said Diamond. “We should have won against Northampton. End of story.
“That would have put a completely different slant on our season. It would have been four wins with Gloucester at home to come.”
