"The lads have been great," says Panthers boss Grix ahead of testimonial clash against Wakefield

Halifax Panthers are set to step up their pre-season preparations as they face Wakefield Trinity at The Shay on Sunday (3pm).
Simon Grix. Photo: Simon Hall/OMH Rugby PicsSimon Grix. Photo: Simon Hall/OMH Rugby Pics
Simon Grix. Photo: Simon Hall/OMH Rugby Pics

The match will be a testimonial for recently retired Halifax player, Scott Grix, the brother of current Panthers manager, Simon Grix.

Scott had two spells at Halifax throughout his career, which also saw him play for Huddersfield Giants and this weekends opponents, Wakefield Trinity. Scott was also capped 22 times for Ireland between 2006 and 2018.

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This will be the first outing for the Panthers so far in 2022 as their Boxing Day match against the Bradford Bulls was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.

However, Panther’s manager Simon Grix says the game will unfortunately not be rearranged as a busy preseason schedule leaves little time between now and the start of the new season.

‘’It is unfortunate as we where all desperate to see a game, but mother nature had other plans.

‘’There isn’t time to rearrange the game with pre-season schedules locked in, also with the lads being part time it is difficult to juggle their family and work commitments at this time of year."

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Despite their preseason preparations being affected, Grix has continued to be impressed by his new look team in the build up to the campaign as their philosophy begins to take shape.

"The lads have been great, both retained and new additions, buying into the idea of how I see us playing."

Grix also believes the team are ready for the physical demands of the start of the new Championship season.

"Physically we will be, the attitude and effort that has gone into getting themselves ready has been really good to see.

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‘’On a skill and relationship level we have improvements to make but it’s the same for everyone. The remaining preseason games are important for us. The minutes on the field together in terms of understanding one another’s timing and preferences.’’

Grix will be pleased with having almost all his players available for the start of the new season with no fresh injury concerns.

‘’At present we only have Matty Gee unavailable for, hopefully, only the first couple rounds of our season. Matty had shoulder surgery in November and obviously these things take time.

"He’s working hard on getting himself right."

Entry is £15 for season ticket holders and £10 for concessions if tickets are booked in advance, rising to £20 and £15 on matchday, respectively. All juniors will be admitted for £1 on matchday.