Newcastle Thunder 0 Halifax Panthers 32 - Simon Grix's side record shutout win

The win was the second successive fixture that Simon Grix's side had shut out their opponents, following a 36-0 success over Dewsbury Rams two weeks ago.

The Panthers returned from a weekend off, after their contest with Sheffield Eagles was postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases at the South Yorkshire club.

Halifax started the game on the front foot, with Connor Robinson slotting an early penalty to give his side the lead. Seven minutes later, the Panthers’ attack roared into life, with

Adam Tangata breaking the line to offload to James Woodburn-Hall to score under the posts.

A conversion by Robinson gave the Panthers the perfect platform to work from, and the Shaymen were committed in defence, holding up the Newcastle attack short of the try

line on a number of occasions.

On 24 minutes, the Panthers got their second try, with Robinson scooping up a loose ball to send Rawsthorne clear and over the whitewash. Halifax then opened up their lead further, with Woodburn-Hall taking a pass to score his second of the afternoon.

Robinson was ever-reliable with the boot, kicking four from four to continue a 100 per cent record. On the stroke of half-time, the Fax kicker slotted yet another kick to give the

Shaymen a half time advantage of 22-0.

In the second half, Halifax carried on where they left off, with centre Ed Barber powering over the line to increase the lead to 26-0. Each Newcastle error and Halifax tackle was

celebrated with gusto, as the Yorkshire side looked to keep their opponents off the scoreboard.

Although Robinson missed the conversion attempt, the Fax attack were rampant as they created a number of silky attacking moves. Amir Bourrouh and Robinson looked to pull strings in the middle of the field as the away side looked to extend their lead.

On 54 minutes, Wigan loanee Bourrouh opened his account for the Shaymen, burrowing over the line from close range. Yet another Robinson conversion took Fax onto 32 points, with their hosts yet to register.

As the clock ticked down, Fax looked to hold onto a second successive shutout, doggedly defending their line against the Newcastle attackers.

With three minutes to go, a Newcastle grubber kick could have yielded a try, but Woodburn-Hall scooped up the loose ball to preserve his side’s clean sheet. Grix’s side can now celebrate two successive wins, and two successive shutouts.

The Shaymen’s next match is next weekend, when they will return to their home ground to face Featherstone Rovers.