Halifax head coach Simon Grix insists they will not fear St Helens as they go out in search of one of the greatest Challenge Cup upsets of all time.
The Championship part-timers face the daunting prospect of taking on Super League’s runaway leaders in Saturday’s second semi-final.
For Halifax, who are in the last four for the first time since 1988, a trip to Wembley seems almost unthinkable. One bookmaker has priced Saints as short as 1/1000 to win the match.
But for Fax, the semi-final is their big day out. It’s believed their inclusion in the event will be worth in the region of £120,000, which will boost the club’s finances following failure to reach the top five in the Championship, and the cash boosts that come with it.
Grix is keen to ensure Fax make the most of their moment in the spotlight.
“The reality is we’re probably playing the best team in Super League for the last ten or more years.
“They’re brilliant. We have to turn out with our best performance to keep it a contest. It is international after international carrying the ball at you.
“But we’re treating it as an occasion and we’re looking forward to it. An upset would be a fairytale, wouldn’t it, but a performance is the big thing.
“They are more skilful than us and better organised. It will be a massive challenge, but we can’t be undone on effort. I’ll accept the skill and smart elements to a degree, but our effort needs to be there and we have to give our fans who are travelling something to hold on to and remember in the years ahead.”
If the size of the challenge wasn’t bad enough, they could be without talismanic leader Scott Murrell, who was hospitalised with a neck injury in their draw with Dewsbury on Sunday.
However, Murrell was quick to update his followers on Twitter with some good news:
Thanks for everyone’s message just got out no fracture just little sore 👍🏼 big week⚪️🔵⚪️🔵
— Scott Murrell (@scottmurrell85) July 21, 2019
