WHITEHAVEN coach Anthony Murray has praised hooker Ellison Holgate for completing the full 80 minutes of the opening league game at Swinton, who won 16-10.
The 24-year-old signed from amateurs Wath Brow was set to share duties with Luke Collins, but the latter was forced to pull out due to illness, with new signing Cameron Brown stepping in to make his debut from the bench.
“Luke let me know when we got to the ground that he wasn’t feeling well,” explained Murray.
“He is an honest player and he didn’t want to put himself out there and then have to come off. It’s good to have someone who puts his hand up and says give someone else a go.
“A big shout-out needs to go out to Ellison, who did 80 minutes at nine, which takes some doing – especially when you’re playing against a big pack like Swinton have, with Adam Sidlow and Gav Rodden coming at you.
“They are two really big and experienced players, so for him to go 80 minutes was a real shift.
“That shows what we’re doing here. We have someone there who wants to give his all for the team. It was a great effort.”
