Halifax Panthers squad takes shape as group photo features St Helens prop

Halifax Panthers returned to the training field on Wednesday evening, giving an insight to how their squad is shaping up in the process.

The Championship club is back under new business and will take to the field on Sunday to take on London Broncos after a new consortium was able to secure RFL membership to continue playing this season.

The immediate challenge now is putting together a squad that can take to the field on Sunday, with many of the club’s players before liquidation signing for new clubs since. However, it appears that those plans are well underway after a picture of the club’s squad was shared on social media on Wednesday evening.

Fax trained at local rugby union club Heath RFC and it featured 15 players. Thirteen of those were previously contracted to the club, with Darius Carter, Ben Crooks, Alfie Johnson, Adam O’Brien, Dan Okoro, Will Calcott, Ben Forster, Jacob Fairbank, Connor Davies, Vila Halafihi, Ben Tibbs, Jesse Soric and Zack McComb among those pictured.

The other two players pictured are Leon Cowen, the St Helens forward who started the season on loan at the club and has now re-signed for the club on the previous arrangement, while the other is Curtis Davies, the twin brother of current Fax player Connor, who spent last season with London Broncos and previously played for Fax.

The only player not included in the picture that remains a free agent is Owen McCarron. However, Love Rugby League has been told that the Australian has agreed to return to the club, despite not being pictured at training. That takes Fax up to 16 players for their game with London though two of them, Johnson and Crooks, are currently injured and unavailable to play.

So Fax currently have 14 players at their disposal, though they are expected to have a full matchday squad in time for Sunday with a number of Super League clubs offering to loan them players. That process is ongoing while Thursday will see the club go through the process of finalising contracts that will officially make their previous players signed up with the new business.