HALIFAX PANTHERS have the right man to continue to take them forward on the pitch in Kyle Eastmond, according to hooker Curtis Davies.
There was no doubting Eastmond’s pedigree as a player when the former dual-code England back took the reins, then aged 35, two years ago.
However, his experience as a coach was limited to spells on the staff at Warrington and rugby union teams Rotherham and Jersey Reds.
He led Halifax to the old-style Championship play-off semi-finals in his first season, and had high hopes of building on that this year.
However the club went into liquidation in February – a development Eastmond had experienced at Jersey Reds in September 2023.
Halifax were relaunched under new ownership the following month, with a twelve-point deduction and Eastmond still at the helm.
Wales international Davies was signed soon after, having previously been at the old version of the club between 2018 and 2021.
Having featured 20 times this year, the 29-year-old, who works as a PE teacher at a school in the town, has signed a contract extension for 2027.
Despite a number of players having departed, Halifax picked up six wins in the 22 league matches that followed their return.
And he told the Halifax Courier: “The best thing about Kyle is the standards he holds everybody to.
“Even through the tough periods, where there might have been excuses, he didn’t search for any.
“That’s something I like and that is definitely one of the reasons I stayed around.”
Davies expects an upturn next year, adding: “Towards the end of the season you could see it all coming together. We were a bit thin on the ground, so it will be nice to look forward to having no excuses.”
