Halifax Panthers players set to leave club

Knowles,29, joined the Panthers in the close season from Sheffield Eagles but suffered a serious hip injury in the opening round of the season, limiting his impact early on in his Fax career. He made a return to action against Newcastle Thunder in round 24.

“Firstly, I’ve got a thank you for Brad and admiration for him as well,” said Fax head coach Simon Grix.

“The injury he suffered was horrific and to get back on his feet in the time he has done and the attitude he’s shown along the way is brilliant. It’s been difficult for him.

"Had we not been playing for anything and been lower down the table, Brad would’ve played a lot more just to see if we could get him back to where we need him to be. Unfortunately with trying to shoot as high as we can, other players in his absence have done really well to the point where it was difficult to fit Brad in.”

“It’s a really tough situation and as much as it was frustrating for Brad, I think he understood that as well. We just got to the stage where Brad needed to know what was going on and for us we’ve had a few people step forward such as Will Calcott which has meant we’ve had to focus on the younger end with Brad not being back to where he needs to be.

"Sometimes it just happens in sport and that’s just the way it’s gone. Brad could’ve been a really good addition for us had he been fit all year. It’s not a great position to be in as he’s leaving the club without really having a crack at it but circumstances just didn’t allow it really in the end.”

Worthington, 32, will leave the club after two seasons with the Panthers, which saw him notch just a single try in each year he spent with the club.

Grix said: “I probably would’ve liked Greg to stay, to be quite honest. But you have to change and move on at times. Also, there’s two sides of the table. Greg got an offer that he probably couldn’t refuse that financially is better for him at this moment in time. We couldn’t quite get there.”

“He’s been great for us though, I think he’s been really good. He’s probably not got the plaudits because he hasn’t crossed the whitewash as much as we would’ve liked him to but he’s certainly stiffened up our defence on more than one occasion.

"He’s been a really stable and dependable player on that left edge for the time he’s been here but it’s one of those things, everyone moves on at some point. It’s just come to that time with Greg where there’s other factors that are involved in his decision that we can’t control.”

“He’s been really good for us and he’s always welcome down here. We wish him well and hopefully, he goes on and enjoys another year or two wherever he goes next, just not when he’s playing against us.”