To be announced at 4 pm

Do well to pick someone up at this stage of the season so I imagine it will be a loan signing. At a guess a young lad after some game time from a SL club just to add another body.

Panthers website Part quote: Halifax Panthers are pleased to confirm that Jacob Gannon has joined the club on an initial one moan loan from Super League side Leigh Leopards.

Notice the time period, sure to feel at home here.







PS: Just heard the club are now looking for an experienced sponsor. Mm






PPS: It’s okay they’ve found him. See below.

Welcome aboard Jacob,no moans from me on this one..Even the DR apologists don't believe that a supposedly much higher profile player can come in at a minutes notice and impact in one game...

Happy with Jacob joining us for the next month. If i remember right he was the Bradford player who chased down woody at last years summer bash and not many do that especially not forwards.

Asked Matt shaw on Twitter today regarding recruitment and img feedback from fax .

His response “They are really keen to recruit. They're looking and trying. They don't want to panic but there is an understanding they need to get people through the doors.

IMG, believe Fax are largely approving of what's in there. They know what they need to do.”

Spot on regarding the recruitment but on IMG it’s not so clear, maybe more like what IMG would “like” to believe and Fax are largely keeping their cards close to their chest as there’s a lot who aren’t onboard with it and plenty yet to come out.

https://twitter.com/m_shaw1/status/1636 ... KKcNIJrHDA

https://twitter.com/m_shaw1/status/1636 ... KKcNIJrHDA

Looked a very good player at Bradford - seems to have lost his way a bit at Fev with the competition for places at fullback. After his experiences at Featherstone can't see him being happy to come here just as back up to JWH so if it comes off will be interesting to see where he fits in. Regardless would be a quality addition to a very thin squad.

Strange one...decent player but wouldn't be first choice and you'd think he'd only leave Fev for first team football.Need a brutal centre and prop but probably none available.

Yeah makes very little sense this we have cover at HB and fullback seems like a signing for signings sake when we need a centre and a couple of forwards and there will now be less money for that. Lets face it barring an injury Woody isn't losing his spot.

Aye, can't weigh this one up. As has been said if we have spared up some brass it's obvious where we could use it and it's not as cover for halves or full back surely. I'm sure SG will have his reasons.

I agree it would be a strange one from Halifax's point of view. He's a decent full back at this level, good at chiming into the attack, but he's not as good an all-round player as Woodburn-Hall.Think if Fax are seeing him as a potential third half back that's very optimistic, he didn't look like he fitted that role at all when Bradford tried him there.

He's effectively 4th choice full back at Fev now so makes sense to let him move on but that's the one position where just about every team in the top 8 in the Championship seems to already have a decent player.

If it happens.

Not sure about his D but he’s got some real pace and comes into the line well with a good pair of hands and can cover the back line positions which is one area that needs strengthening lingering on from the departures of Worthington and Arundel.

Kyle Wood is our half back cover and JWH is next in at 6 with Pickersgill going to 1.

It would be remarkable if Keyes goes through another full season without being injured as well with his history

Woody is a star but every game looks like being one tackle away from getting injured, of course the individual has to be right from who’s available but at this stage it’s a squad consideration a well.

For some time the club has been on the phone trying to recruit and been in the running for several players but the money some agents have been asking for are over inflated.

Their still looking and the phone bill and hopefully the wage bill will be getting larger in the immediate future.

I am in a minority here but i do think we need better quality cover for woody then we have currently in the squad. And if he can cover other positions across the backline that is all good too. But let me be clear i would also like a centre and more fire power up front too. It will be interesting to see if Jacob can provide us with that while he is here.

That’s the ticket Tez and last season remember we had steady Joe who we also haven't replaced, of the two i’d go with BP for cover at 1 and the back line.

And your point about the squad is if Woody got injured and we used say Salty, Walmsley or Jouff then either way that would mean breaking up one of our most effective partnerships or using say Nick Raws who hasn’t featured since Wakefield.

Grix has stated It’s good to have specialists in certain positions but in the modern game there’s also value in a degree of versatility, Ed Barber comes to mind, we miss him and another one not really replaced and it’s a balancing act based on squad evaluation and who’s available.
I’m glad I don’t have the task and responsibility of walking the wire.

PS: All this depends on if it gets over the line.

PPS: And I hope that Craig David who told me all this is reliable, otherwise big

Pickersgill confirmed.

One thing for certain is that Brandon is a quality player , I also think Grix is the coach to get the best out of him . With us being in the challenge cup this year and with potential to progressing in the 1895 cup quality squad depth will be important,

Fully agree Terry, he is too good not to sign and gives options at FB allowing Woody to move up. Kyle Wood is not a threat at HB.

And of course not being hindered by cup tie issues he'll be eligible for every comp.

Be interesting to see the contrast with JWH over a full 90 mins close up live if he gets a start at 1.

A few wet and dry highlights with some against us! The lad can scoot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWSFZf4fxkE

A few wet and dry highlights with some against us! The lad can scoot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWSFZf4fxkE

Pickersgill is decent in attack
Can't play anywhere else in back line only FB. Wasn't effective for Bulls when playing at 6. Weak under the high ball and his defence is questionable.

Gannon & Pickersgill both offer strength in numbers as opposed to where we were this time last week, let's be honest, most folk thought we'd lose last week's cup-tie, we now know we have a potential 2 more cup ties which although aren't season priorities, they're both winnable fixtures and potential earners if we get down to support the lads on the day, so anyone who might be already cup-tied will obviously need to be given those games off, meaning our lads already in the playing squad have more game time to deal with moving forwards, squads with greater numbers can cope AND offer both cover for injuries/suspension , plus competition for places. I don't see much in the way of D/R coming our way since the two lads the other week were announced ( and one subsequently withdrawn ) we look short in the 3/4's with Tibbs' injury after shifting Arundel & Worthington. The biggest plus for me so far this season is the emergence of Tom Inman & his pace, enthusiasm & desire, he definately changes our attacking dynamic off the bench against tired opposition and this then allows Kyle Wood as cover for an emergency half back, and/or Brandon Moore as cover at loose forward ( personally, I'd only spell Brandon as a hooker to preserve his energy ) Other than his size, i don't think we'll miss Ryan King, he was still settling in & needed more time to bed in, Maher looks the same to me, so if we can get just a bit more cover for our props, i'd be more than content with this current squad. We certainly have plenty of local lads wanting to wear the Fax colours right now

I wouldn’t see it playing out like that , if jouffret gets injured, woody drops into 6 like he did for Jamaica in the WC , pickersgill goes to fb , if woody gets injured it’s a like for like swap.

I don’t see it partly like that ( how Ckt2487 ) assessed it either.

In addition to how you explained it providing cover for the back line In this context doesn’t necessarily mean he will be playing in every position himself, but what it allows others to do as you mentioned.

I do agree where his strengths are but that’s the reason why Grix has signed him, he’s here precisely because of his pace and attack.

It’s much easier if a player is a natural fit to the clubs style of play than having to make changes to him so he can fit in.

He reads the attacking game really well, good positional support play naturally coming into the line, good hands to bring in the backs and the speed to finish himself, none of which our previous option steady Joe did.

So even if he doesn’t start in the centres it’s by coming into the line wide out as the extra man with those attributes feeding our quick backs I hope he can light up our 3/4’s like Tom has done down the middle, if he does I see the some points being racked up.

Anyway Brandon don’t forget my commission for saying so.

PS: Woody I’m open to higher offers to say he’s rubbish.