Widnes v Halifax: Richard Marshall lauds attitude of 'battle-hardened' Halifax squad
By Billy Painter | Twitter: @BillyPainter93 |
Last Updated: 13/09/18 6:02pm
Championship part-timers Halifax may sit bottom of the Super 8s Qualifiers, but there is plenty to be positive about at the West Yorkshire club.
Halifax appear in their third Qualifiers campaign in four seasons as they prepare to face Super League side Widnes Vikings, live on Sky Sports Arena on Saturday from 3pm.
As the competition's sole part-time outfit, Halifax coach Richard Marshall is tasked with finding the right formula to match the seven full-time clubs his side will come up against in the Qualifiers.
"It's hard work and attitude," says Marshall when asked about how his side plans to tackle the season. "It's part of what we do, these lads are battle-hardened as well.
"We've got people on roofs and digging holes and we've got a couple of clever people as well who work in banks.
"They do the day job and they come here and we make it as enjoyable as we possibly can. They love coming to work and coming training at Halifax - and after the season that we've had the club is in a real strong position."
Despite their Championship status, Halifax are one of few teams in and outside Super League currently running a reserve grade - something that is now starting to bear fruit for the club.
"A couple of years ago we had a vision of a local team with local players and producing our own players," Marshall said. "It takes time, it takes money, it takes effort but it's certainly worth it for ourselves.
"There's stories littered throughout Super League; Chris Hill, Jamie Peacock - players like that who came into the game late.
"We've got one ourselves in Chester Butler who came into the game late and he's just prospering now, and on the other hand you've got Brandon Moore who got player of the year at Castleford's Academy but because they didn't run a reserve grade, and he had some really good players in front of him, he came to us and he's just been nominated for young player of the year again this year which is fantastic.
"Around this time last year we played Warrington on Sky Sports and Chester Butler got man of the match and scored a couple of tries as well. Twelve months on he's now played 20 first-grade games and scored 10 tries."
Earlier this week Marshall was nominated for the Championship coach of the year alongside Sylvain Houles of Toulouse Olympique and Danny Ward of London Broncos, after successfully guiding Halifax to a place in the Qualifiers for a third time in four seasons - an achievement he rates as one of his best to date.
"It's up there. I think with the Championship being so strong this year it's fantastic for us as a club to make to make the top four again.
"We didn't do it the easy way. We came through some adversity mid-season but the players really play well when the chips are down and they did that this year.
"We're in there fighting every inch for every metre and that's what we're about and as long as the players are doing that then I'm a happy coach."
Having suffered relegation from Super League in 2003 and since spent 15 seasons in the Championship, the target to return is still very much there - for both Halifax and Marshall.
"We'd love to be in Super League. It might be this year, a couple of years but there is an ambition to get this club back in there and that's one of the reasons why I'm here as well.
"I'd love to coach in Super League again one day. I've enjoyed it at Halifax, it's been fantastic - the club have been very supportive of me and my ideas, but I am ambitious.
"One day I'd like to be working in a full-time environment, but at the moment I'm 100 per cent behind Halifax. Everybody's got ambition and hopefully one day I'll be back into Super League."
Halifax visit Widnes on Saturday afternoon with both sides searching for their first points in the Qualifiers - but with the Vikings' Super League status hanging by a thread, the away side have nothing to lose.
"The pressure will be on Widnes playing at home and everything that's associated with this game," Marshall said.
"We want to be competitive. There is no pressure or expectation on this group of players and we'll go there with that smile on our faces, we'll go and enjoy the atmosphere, the occasion.
"Widnes are a great club and will lose their income and the security as a result if they do go down. But at the same time that's a motivator for those players as well.
"We want to go there and play our best and if that's good enough to win it if we get a fraction of that second half will be in with a fighting chance."
Widnes Vikings 19-man squad: Patrick Ah Van, Owen Buckley, Jay Chapelhow, Liam Finn, Charlie Gubb, Harrison Hansen, Weller Hauraki, Aaron Heremaia, Chris Houston, Krisnan Inu, MacGraff Leuluai, Joe Lyons, Joe Mellor, Tom Olbison, Charly Runciman, Danny Walker, Lloyd White, Matt Whitley, Sam Wilde.
Halifax RLFC 19-man squad: Chester Butler, Liam Cooper, Connor Davies, Jacob Fairbank, Dan Fleming, Shane Grady, Simon Grix, Ben Heaton, Ben Johnston, Sion Jones, Ben Kaye, Will Maher, Brandon Moore, Kieren Moss, Scott Murrell, James Saltonstall, Will Sharp, Adam Tangata, James Woodburn-Hall.
