"We ticked a lot of boxes," says Panthers coach Grix after loss to Wakefield Trinity

Scott Grix took the field for the final time in his testimonial on Sunday, celebrating a career that spanned over 400 games, playing for both Halifax Panthers and Wakefield Trinity.

Panthers boss Simon Grix was pleased to be involved in his brother’s final game.

‘’It was nice to be involved in Scott’s testimonial. It is a big achievement to play for so long and compete in over 400 games, a feat that many won’t get close too. He has been great for us, and I am happy to see that continue in a different capacity,’’ he said.

Although the game was a great occasion celebrating Grix’s exceptional career, with the season fast approaching, the game was extremely important for both teams to get much needed minutes into their players and shake off some rustiness before the start of the new campaign.

Grix believes the game will help shape his team into becoming a more cohesive unit and has helped them focus on aspects they need to improve.

‘’I think we will be far better for those minutes and had the (Bradford) Bulls friendly gone ahead we would have got rid of some of the rustiness prior to this,’’ he said.

‘’We can and will improve in all areas, but the focus this week leading into the Salford game will be our defence in all aspects really.

‘’We wanted to play tough opposition prior to the season to get exposed and learn from the game. It may not have been Wakefield’s front line but they where pretty strong and the full-time factor had a bearing.’’

Despite losing the game, Grix saw plenty of positives that will stand his team in good stead for the future as they look to make a strong start to the new Betfred Championship season.

‘’Our ball control was the real highlight for us, and we certainly stressed Wakefield. We lacked polish on the whole as you would expect but managed to compete high in each half which at this time of year will be important,’’ he said.

‘’Our halves linked up really well and we explored some options in various positions we may use through-out the season, so we ticked a lot of boxes."

Grix praised several his players for their individual performances as he believed they put in a strong showing during the game.

‘Individually I thought they were a few notable performers," he said.

"Kyle Wood was deceptive at dummy half; Elliot Morris was a handful as was Brad Knowles and Ben Kavanagh was impressive with and without the ball which was good to see.’’

Grix will be hoping to continue seeing improvements from his players as they face Salford Devils on Friday in their final preseason game at the AJ Bell Stadium (7.30pm).