HALIFAX PANTHERS coach Kyle Eastmond hopes he has a jewel in Alfie Johnson.
While his side suffered a disappointing fourth defeat in five matches in going down 24-10 at Oldham, the Shay coach was delighted with the try-scoring display of the on-loan Warrington winger.
He was one of three debutants alongside former Wests Tigers and Samoa winger David Nofoaluma and French loose-forward Maxime Jobe, who have both signed from Pia.
It was just a fifth game of senior Rugby League for Johnson, a 24-year-old convert from union.
He had come through the Harlequins development system and represented England in sevens, playing across the globe in the HSBC World Series.
In the wake of the pandemic, the Guildford-born player went to Newcastle University, earning a degree in economics.
Johnson played League for Leeds Reserves last year and, having caught the attention of Warrington, was handed a two-year deal in October.
Having played twice for the Wolves, bagging a try on his first appearance in the 30-16 home Super League defeat by Wakefield, and also appeared on dual-registration for Widnes and London Broncos, he joined Halifax on a loan to the end of the season to further his development via more regular outings.
That meant he linked up with Eastmond, who played both League and union for England.
And the coach said of Johnson’s performance at Oldham: “I thought Alfie was outstanding, our best player by a distance. He was great in what he did and the fight he showed for the club.”
Having had a bye round, and with no Championship matches this weekend due to the Wembley finals day, Eastmond has time to work with the new arrivals on the training ground as he tries to rekindle the form which brought a 100 percent record from the first six league games.
“The lads are giving it everything, but we need to find a solution to our inconsistency,” he added.