THE step up from the Championship to Super League is often a daunting one.
However, for some players, it has been mightily successful with the likes of Alex Walmsley, Chris Hill and James Bell making the step up and going on to have productive careers in the top flight.
One man who has been on some peoples’ lips about being a potential Super League player is Halifax Panthers playmaker James Woodburn-Hall.
The 28-year-old Jamaican international has been with the Panthers since joining from the London Skolars in 2016 and, after a number of superb games for the Panthers in 2023, the London-born playmaker was the subject of a Super League offer last season.
“I have been given a Super League offer in the past, it was this year but I don’t want to go into that much,” Woodburn-Hall told League Express.
“It was a decent offer but ultimately it came down to finances and having to look after myself in the long run.
“It just came at the wrong time for me, if it was three or four yers earlier I definitely would have taken it but at the same time I’m 28 now and I’ve got two more years at Halifax.
“I don’t how long I am going to play, but I don’t have ambitions to play past 35. It’s a tough situation.”
In terms of making that step up to Super League, Woodburn-Hall would “love to” test himself against the best players in the northern hemisphere but that part-time commitments and finances mean that it is “unlikely” to happen.
“I’d love to test myself and do it but at the same time it’s tough. I’m at an age where I’ve got a lot responsibility, I don’t have kids or anything like that but I do have a mortgage that needs to be paid.
“Sometimes some of the contracts you are offered – they are fair because you are coming up from the Championship and so you can’t expect to earn a lot of money – but at the same time as a player that is playing part-time and working as well, you’re likely to be losing out on money. That’s the harsh reality of it really.
“Do I have an ambition? Yes, but is it a feasible option? Probably not unfortunately. If ever another opportunity came along I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it. I’d certainly look at it and think about it long and hard.”
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