Halifax boss full of praise for Rochdale

WHILE Rochdale Hornets may have finished the regular season bottom of the Championship, Halifax head coach Richard Marshall believes the team are much better than their position suggests.

Halifax went up against Hornets over the weekend, with the Yorkshire side running out comfortable 36-6 winners at the Shay.

That result meant Halifax finished fourth in the regular table and earned themselves a place in the qualifiers, while Hornets will be competing in the Championship Shield.

Halifax won 16 of their 23 matches, compared to Hornets, who won just four of their 23 games, but despite that, Marshall thinks that the performance Rochdale put in against his side shows that they are still a very good team.

“We must credit Rochdale. They didn’t give up and they don’t look like a team that is bottom of the competition,” he said.

“They were tough and put us under the pump a bit, certainly when they went over after half-time. There was a bit of a lull in the stadium when that happened, but then we had a bit of quality to finish the game off.

“I thought we were in control in the first half, but we didn’t think the job was done. When they scored shortly after half-time I thought our game management, control and focus was good. Defensively we were very good and our discipline was good, too.

“It was set for set in the first 13 minutes but I think that contributed to our success as we didn’t do anything stupid and it gave us a platform to build from.”

Halifax’s victory over the weekend means that they have done the double over Hornets this season, with Rochdale previously suffering a 26-20 at the Crown Oil Arena back in February.

Hornets will now turn their attention to the Championship Shield, with the team set to take on Dewsbury Rams, Leigh Centurions and Featherstone Rovers at home, while having away games against Swinton Lions, Barrow Raiders, Sheffield Eagles and Batley Bulldogs.