"We haven't been good enough," says Panthers boss Grix after slow start to the season

Leigh Centurions became the latest side to get the better of Halifax following their 26-16 victory on Monday night.

The Panthers have now gone over a month without winning a competitive game, but considering the level of opposition in recent weeks, Grix believes this is not the time to be pushing the panic button.

Fax have played Widnes, Featherstone and Leigh in their last three league encounters - clubs which currently make up three of the best four teams in the Championship.

When asked about the current state of play, Grix said: “[We’re] obviously frustrated. It’s not how anyone wants to start the season, you obviously want more wins. Context is the big thing. But there’s no excuses. We haven’t been good enough to get the points regardless of who the opposition is.

“At the end of the day, if you were judged on being close and got points for it, that would be great. But you don’t, so we need to turn our attention to Workington, do a good job and start building into this season.

“We’ve gained a bit of belief that we can swing with the big hitters, we’ve not been quite good enough to take them out. But it’s given us a bit of focus about how we want to play. Bit of extra buy into what myself, Scott [Grix] and Liam [Finn] are pushing.

“I think the thing now is to maintain that confidence despite what the board looks like, because that really won’t take shape until later on in the year. We’re not too worried about that just yet.”

Next up for the Panthers is a Sunday trip to Workington Town, but considering Fax played on Monday, preparation for the encounter is undoubtedly going to be affected.

With the club operating on a part-time basis, players juggle work alongside their playing commitments. Nevertheless, Grix admitted that these challenges are just part of job.

He said “We’ve planned it, it’s not been sprung on us. The Monday nights are not ideal, they’re not perfect. That’s why the lads have gone straight to the pool [after the Leigh match] to do some recovery.

“[We’ll] try to look after them best we can and turn our attention to the next one. That’s what it is, it’s week to week life for us.”

Halifax made their Premier Sports TV debut on Monday, and despite facing a defeat Grix was pleased to see more coverage of the competition.

“At the end of the day, it’s getting rugby league on TV,” the Halifax boss added. “And the Championship in particular which interests us. Hopefully there’s enough eyeballs on it to where it poses an argument for an improved deal. Whether it’s a Saturday night or a Sunday night, or a Sky deal improves, and all that down the track. More exposure for our sport is the main thing and I think we’re doing a decent job of it so far.”