Halifax confirm Noble talks

Championship side Halifax have confirmed they are in discussions with former Great Britain coach Brian Noble about a consultancy role with the club.

The 2010 champions approached Noble after a disappointing run of one league win from seven, but have ruled out any threat to head coach Matt Calland’s position.

Fax director Ian Croad explained: “We can confirm we are in talks with Brian in a bid to secure him in a consultancy role, but Matt remains our head coach, there is no question about that.

“He has taken us to back to back Grand Finals and this shouldn’t be forgotten, so we always planned to help Matt, rather than replace him. Matt is comfortable with the proposal, and we are confident that should a deal be concluded it will create a top rate management team.”

Noble is due at the Shay on Sunday as part of the BBC’s commentary team, but the club hope to have an agreement in place within the next 24 hours.

Croad added: “The talks have been very productive and we are due to meet again on Friday afternoon when we hope to conclude a deal that will see Brian become a coaching consultant on an open-ended part-time basis that may well last the rest of the season.”

Sunday’s game against Bradford, the club Noble took to three Grand Finals, is one of the most eagerly anticipated for some time, and the largest at the Shay for a decade. Tickets are still available online, over the phone and from the Shay offices; and it is expected that a certain amount will be reserved for sale on the day from the ticket office