T'Other Side: Halifax Panthers

  

Usually, we only publish the 'New Signings' chart the first time we play a club in the season. However, because (like Fev) Halifax have recruited several players in mid-season, we are publishing an updated version.

In addition to the 'new' signings Halifax have now brought back Ed Barber who last played for them in 2022. He had been playing for the Huddersfield Rugby Union team.

Head Coach: Liam Finn

 

Unless you are pretty young, there are probably no current head coaches that need less introduction to Fev fans than Daryl Powell and Liam Finn who were at the heart of the Fev team that won the Championship four years in a row from 2010 to 2013.

Liam became head coach of Halifax for this year after being head coach of Dewsbury in 2022 and 2023 and leading them to promotion to the Championship after becoming League One champions. Having achieved that it was a bit of surprise to some people when he accepted the offer of the Halifax job, but understandable because Liam is a Halifax lad and started his playing career there in 2002.

He then spent 2004 and 2005 at Wakefield but only played two games in their first team and spent the latter half of 2005 on loan at Fev. From 2006 to 2009 he was at Dewsbury before Daryl signed him for Fev in 2010. He started 2010 at hooker but soon moved to scrumhalf and became the core of that golden period for Rovers. After his time at Fev he played for Castleford (with Daryl as head coach), Wakefield and Widnes (on loan). He began 2019 at Newcastle but played only three games there before moving back to Dewsbury. Liam waws also an Irish international.

Liam’s record at Fev was: Played 139, 71 tries, kicked 597 goals and scored 6 drop goals. A total of 1,484 points. In 2012 he set two Fev records (which still stand) with 183 goals and 436 points in a season. That year he also set a world record by kicking 41 successive goals. Since then, it has been equalled three times by Jamie Ellis, Rhyse Martin and Stefan Ratchford but the record has never yet been broken.

 

Co-Captains: Joe Keyes and Adam O’Brien

London born Joe Keyes came through the London Broncos Academy and made his first team début for the Broncos in 2014. In 2016 he played a game on dual reg for London Skolars and then joined Bradford at the end of June. In 2020 he became a Hull KR player where first team opportunities were limited to 6 appearances in two years, but he did have loan spells with York and Bradford in 2021. He joined Halifax in 2022. Back in 2014 Joe played for the England Academy team but since 2015 he has been a regular in the full Ireland international squad. He was on the Ireland subs bench for their three games in the European Championship. He did get to play in those games but his path to being a starting scrumhalf was blocked by … Liam Finn!

Adam O’Brien is a hooker who also played for the England Academy team. In his case it was in 2010 while he was a member of the Bradford Bulls Academy. He made his first team début for Bradford in 2011. During his six seasons in the Bradford first team squad, he had an extended loan spell with Dewsbury in 2013. He was then at Huddersfield from 2017 until 2023. During his time at Huddersfield, he went on loan to Halifax in 2017 and then again last season. He joined Halifax for the start of this season.

 

Dual Registration and Loans

This year Halifax have dual reg agreements with Leeds Rhinos and Cornwall. The arrangement with Leeds has seen Kieran Hudson (prop), Corey Johnson (hooker), Riley Lumb (back/fullback), Ned McCormack (centre), Leon Ruan (second row), Jack Sinfield (centre) and Jack Smith (back) play for them. There have been no loans either in or out so far in 2024.

Halifax player, Sam Campbell (halfback/second row) has played for Cornwall.

Charlie Graham (wing) is on loan from Keighley and Oliver Davies is out on loan at North Walles Crusaders.

 

The Fev Connection 

Amongst the 82 players we know of who have played for both clubs are Fred Gill, Terry Ramshaw and Edgar Woolley.

Amongst the 82 players we know of who have played for both clubs are Albert Fearnley, Norman Hockley and Martin Pearson.

Fred Gill joined Fev in our first season in the Northern Rugby League in 1921. His brother, Austin, was already a Fev player. Fred was renowned as a sprinter. During three seasons at Rovers, he played 36 times and scored 5 tries. He never became a regular in the first team and slotted in wherever and whenever he was needed at wing, centre, stand-off or scrumhalf. In 1924 he was transferred to Halifax and later on he also played for Bramley.

Terry Ramshaw made his professional début for Fev in 1961 as a 17 year-old. Over five years at Fev he made exactly 100 appearances (98 in the second row and 2 at prop) and scored 27 tries. The most notable of those tries was a tremendous one against the Australian tourists when Fev beat them 23-17 in 1963. In 1965 Fev sold him to Halifax for £5,000 which was, at the time, a record for Rovers. He spent two seasons playing for Fax and then went on to play for Bradford, Wakefield, Salford, Hull KR, Oldham and York.

Edgar Woolley was a Fev player way back in 1908 and 1909 when Fev were an amateur team. In 1909 he scored 5 tries in a match against Lofthouse. He then turned professional with Halifax where he played from 1910 until 1914 although he did play some further games for Fev on loan. From 1914 until 1919 he was at Wakefield and then retired. However, during our first professional season (1921-22) we had an injury crisis and all four of our regular wingers and centres were out of action for the game away to Hull KR on October 8th, 1921 and Edgar came out of retirement to help out, playing his only game for the, now professional, Rovers team. As our database is about Fev from 1921 it is hardly surprising that we have no photo of Edgar Woolley although we do have a rather fine photo of his brother, Bert, who played for Fev from 1921-1928.