Fax boss Grix has doubts over RFL’s proposed autumn tournament after Championship season is cancelled

Grix said he was disappointed the season was declared null and void following the governing body’s decision on Monday to cancel both the Championship and League 1 campaigns.

Clubs have instead been invited to feature in a new-fangled competition, with a theme of celebrating the sport’s 125th anniversary and a prize pot of £250,000 - thanks in part to financial support from the Super League clubs.

The tournament is seen as a way of ensuring lower league clubs can play some games and earn some income after the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan is to start the competition in October when grounds could be open to fans once more and have two regional divisions of up to eight clubs each, all playing seven games before semi-finals and a final.

“I don’t know if there is a right call,” Grix said on the decision to cancel the 2020 season.

“Obviously I’m disappointed.”From taking over last year, we had some good moments and some forgettable times.

“We worked really hard in pre-season to build the foundations not to repeat those mistakes, so it’s a lot of hard work down the pan I suppose.

“It’s a strange time, no-one’s experienced it before and there are going to be casualties across the world of business, and unfortunately sport has taken a hit. With our sport not being rich, we’re going to feel it more than the big boys are.

“I believe the RFL are touting a winter tournament. I don’t know how that works to be honest, I’m not sure how many teams will view that as a good option.

“As a coach, I want to play rugby but everyone’s had more time off than they’ve ever had, and watching the substantial, long-term injuries in the NRL, if we had to come back and play you’d have to look at the risk of those injuries occurring and hampering your 2021 season.

“I think there’s a bit to work out there. Yes there’s prize money but it’s going to cost teams to be in it.

“Whatever anyone’s banked in this period will help them and act as a buffer for the expected fall in Sky money, sponsorship or gates going down because people don’t have the confidence to go to games and so on, but that buffer could well be spent (with this tournament).

“From a pure coaching point of view, I would rather be out there playing, definitely, but I think the clubs have a duty to look after the longer-term future as well, especially in light of everything that’s happening.

“It’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds.”

Grix says the focus has been on the 2021 season over the last few weeks as the 2020 season looked increasingly unlikely to return.

“We’ve started working through our contracted players,” he said.

“It’s very difficult, there’s some tough decisions because we have less money, which inevitably means we can’t keep everyone.

“So you’re making calls on some people based on a pre-season and five or six games, including the friendly at the beginning of the year.

“We’re making decisions when we haven’t really got all the information you need, but I think I’ve seen enough to know what I want and what we need.

“It’s a tough task but we’re on with it.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of movement now potentially, I know Super League are feeling the pinch as well, so we might see some players moving out of Super League and finding their way to the Championship, and enhancing the quality of our competition.

“We’ve got our eyes open to see what’s about.”

Grix says there are a couple of signings in the pipeline but expects his playing budget will be “significantly” cut for next season and to potentially operate a smaller squad.

“Sky money’s going down so that’s a reduction there, and we’ve got to run it as a sustainable business,” he said.

“No-one knows what the future holds at present, and obviously there’s a worry that sponsors who have willingly put money into the club in the past, that money won’t be there.

“There’s worries with the amount of fans that will turn up, with the time away and the lack of confidence being in a crowd.

“There’s a lot of unknowns. While we’re not planning for the worst, I think the club are trying to be smart about how far they stretch themselves in anticipation of these issues becoming problems.

“It is less but I think everyone’s in the same boat.”We’re alright with where we are as a club. We know where we want to get to and we know what it’ll take to get there, but it’s going to be a slow process.

“We’re not a wealthy club, I don’t think we ever have been.”If you look at the Championship, the wealthy teams are the ones that have got backers, which is the same for Super League.

“We’re not in a bad spot, people have done a lot work behind-the-scenes in the last 12-18 months to put the club in a good position, one that’s probably put it in a position where we can come out the other side of this and be OK.

“It’s an ongoing problem that we need to grow the game but we don’t seem to have the right answers for that.

“We’re all floating along and hoping for the best at the minute.

“It’s the longest we’ve been away from the game, whether you’re a player or a fan, so it’s been strange and it’s left a big hole.

“Hopefully now there’s some clarity been given, the limbo’s over, we know what we’re doing moving forward, so we have to get on with it.”