Clark was on song during Fax career

Des Clark’s debut for Halifax was an auspicious one. The Australian had been signed in the 1997/98 close season by John Pendlebury as he tried to salvage something from the previous season.

Their first match was the last competitive first team fixture to take place at Thrum Hall, a Challenge Cup match versus Huddersfield on February 15 1998. Fax won 28-8; now Clark is returning to Australia with his family.

The story of how Pendlebury’s team turned things round to finish third in Super League is well documented.

There were obvious highlights. A 42-0 home thumping of Leeds, a “double” over champions Bradford, home victories against St Helens and Castleford.

One remarkable feature was the way in which it was a settled team. Clark played in all 27 fixtures and David Bouveng, Chris Chester, Karl Harrison, Paul Rowley and Mercer were everpresent. Richard Marshall missed one game, Clinch and Gibson merely a couple each.

That match against the Giants was the first of 52 in a Fax shirt for the guitarplaying second rower from Queensland.

This game was a torrid forward battle and the journos picked Clark as their MOM so obviously appreciated his efforts.

The club’s hierarchy sent a message back to them to reconsider (perhaps they considered that two try Fereti Tuilagi or six goal Martin Pearson was more deserving) but were just as quickly told to get lost!