HALIFAX PANTHERS scrum-half Jack Hansen is enjoying putting the boot into opponents as he aims to help Kyle Eastmond continue a bright start to his head coaching career.
The October appointment of the former England dual-code international, 35, on a three-year contract played a big part in persuading the 28-year-old his future also lay at The Shay.
Having spent a season at Sheffield after a lengthy stay at Swinton, Hansen, who started his professional career at Leigh but couldn’t break into their first team, also inked terms to 2027.
He is desperate to help Halifax progress, explaining: “To work under Kyle is something I really wanted.
“I watched him as a player at St Helens and I tried to recreate what he did on the pitch as I feel we have the same attributes.
“I knew the next few years were going to be important, given the stage I’m at in my career, and I want to put myself up there among the best halves in the division. This is a good club to allow me to do that.”
Hansen, whose father Lee is a former Tonga frontrower who played for a string of clubs including Leigh, Widnes, Wigan and Swinton, made his sixth Halifax appearance in all competitions as they made it four league wins from four by beating Featherstone 38-12 at The Shay.
He scored a try off Tom Inman’s kick, having also played his part in peppering the visitors with aerial balls.
“Kyle has got me kicking more than I ever have before,” he added.
“We have other players who do it as well, and he’s told us to stick with the process, because if we keep doing it, it will pay off.
“It’s the same with our overall game plan. We have done a lot of work on it, and we all feel that if we can keep to what we do well and iron out errors as much as possible, we can maintain our challenge.”