Do ‘not clock off’ - Simon Grix’s message to his Halifax Panthers side ahead of Whitehaven clash

Fax recorded their first away league win of the season at Newcastle Thunder last weekend, 36-16.

However, after the Panthers raced into a 30-0 lead, Newcastle scored three tries in 14 second half minutes to give the scoreboard a closer look.

And Grix, although pleased with that result, has insisted his players need a “solid 80 minute game” if they are to secure their sixth Championship victory out of a possible seven on home soil this season. He said:

“After a long drive on the back of a week off and changes to the team, all those things considered, two points in the bag, we will take them.

“It wasn’t perfect but I think we were in control from the off and maybe got a little bit slack in the last 20 minutes of the game which invited them to our line and they scored a few tries.

“On the whole, I was reasonably happy. It was good to get an away win. It’s good to get that monkey off the back.

“Whitehaven will be a tough game. They are a good team, a big team. It will be a physical encounter I would imagine. Hopefully we can learn some lessons from last week and not clock off because it will need a solid 80 minute game to get the points.

“We are in decent form at home. The last home game was really good and I am hoping we can get back to that sort of level.”

Grix also had another warning for his players, with Fax’s mouth-watering Challenge Cup clash with St Helens lurking around the corner.

“If you look too far ahead then you don’t really nail what’s right in front of you,” he said. “They’d be foolish to be thinking that. If they are, it is off their own backs as we won’t be speaking about it.

“I am sure it will be at the back of their minds but it doesn’t want to be taking up too much space.”

Grix also confirmed that Jake Maizen (ankle) and James Saltonstall (groin) will be assessed before the game.