Interview - Danny Jones: Halifax to keep on track for return to top flight

Banished from Super League for the majority of the last decade, returning to where they feel they belong is their principal aim.

Winning a first Northern Rail Cup final on Sunday – remarkably the only time they have reached the second-tier knockout’s conclusion since its 2002 inception – would be another addition to their portfolio.

It may still not be enough for the Championship Grand Final winners to earn a coveted three-year licence for 2012 – they missed out to Widnes in March but have a second chance when the RFL announces the remaining 13 successful applicants on July 26 – but it would certainly press their case for 2015.

“I definitely believe if they keep banging at the door soon they will have to be given a key to come back in,” said Danny Jones, the goal-kicking stand-off who returned to his home-town club from Keighley last winter.

“We’ve had back-to-back Grand Finals, winning one and losing one, and are now in the Northern Rail Cup final, so Halifax are showing up there as one of the Championship’s elite.

“Although they (the RFL) took away promotion and relegation, which I think in some ways was for the right reason as it stabilised a lot of clubs and stopped them yo-yoing, if you’re winning the Championship you should be rewarded with a three-year licence and see how you go.

“Otherwise, teams in this division will just get fed up, eventually struggle to get backers and supporters will slowly but surely go to a Super League club as Halifax’s did with Bradford all those years back.

“They’ve started to come back a little but still nowhere near the levels when at Thrum Hall.”

Jones, whose kicking game will be crucial if Halifax are to overcome favourites Leigh at Blackpool this weekend, would love nothing more than to see them reinstated among the upper echelons. Names mentioned in his warm recollections of their last time in Super League – pre-2003 – are a reminder of just how long they have been away.

He cites the robust Samoan three-quarters Fereti Tuilagi, Asa Amone and Mike Umaga as some of his favoured players along with the tenacious moustached scrum-half Paul Bishop – “I’ll never forget him having a do with Castleford’s Lee Crooks down the tunnel after the final hooter.”

However, like any good half-back knows, his own performance can only materialise with the help of an unstinting prop so, when pushed for his finest, the “colossal” Karl Harrison is named.

Jones told the Yorkshire Post: “As a young lad, I played on Sunday mornings at Ovenden and then went up the road to Thrum Hall on an afternoon and stood in the Scratching Shed to cheer Halifax on.

“Wigan would always be all-ticket with 22,000 fans in there and a fantastic atmosphere.

“I’ve a lot of fond memories watching them and was there in ’94 when we were one of the few to give Australia a real game.

“I’ve just recently been on a building site up there. It’s now Asda and there’s two bowling greens where the pitch used to be. It’s weird looking out and seeing that.”

Scaffolder Jones will be looking to take down Leigh on Sunday, the joint-Championship leaders who have only suffered defeat once in the league all season.

But Halifax were the side to do that, a thrilling 36-16 away success at the start of June deemed as the point their own turbulent season took on a positive new nature.

Matt Calland’s side had endured a miserable start to the defence of their title, winning just one of their opening eight matches and delivering some dismal performances.

The catalysts to their recent improvement – Halifax have lost just one of their last six to revive hopes of making the play-offs – has been twofold: the settling of new signings such as Jones, and the arrival of ex-Great Britain coach Brian Noble as a coaching consultant.

In the seven league games before his appointment, Halifax leaked an average of 35 points; in the seven since, that has been reduced to just over 20.

A sign of their new-found grit was Saturday’s 24-16 triumph at Barrow when they overcame the sixth-placed side despite being reduced to 12 men for nearly the entirety of the second period.

“Nobby has shored us up in defence,” said Wales international Jones.

“Over the years, Halifax have been a very expansive attacking team with the philosophy of ‘if you score 60 points we’ll score 62’. At the start of the year, we were conceding too many silly tries through silly defence. That’s stopped now.

“Everyone is showing a bit more pride and commitment. We’ve shored up that defence and started to win games off the back of it. He’s done wonders with the overall professionalism around the place – everyone is more keen and more energised.

“There shouldn’t be any need for him to have to come in and get that out of people but that’s the effect he has.”

It is unlikely Noble’s role will continue beyond the end of the season with Castleford believed to be seeing the man who led Bradford to five consecutive Grand Finals as a replacement for Terry Matterson.

“They’d be foolish not to (look),” said Jones. “He’s one of those people who, when he speaks, you listen. He’s very hands-on in training and one of the best British coaches ever.”

Neutralising a prolific Leigh side that, despite their off-field financial woe, has averaged nearly 40 points a game will not be easy but Jones said: “It’s good knowing we’re the only team to have beaten them this season.

“Featherstone went close getting a point but we went to Leigh and defeated them.

“They’ll be hurting from that and looking to right their own wrongs but if we turn up in that frame again – and like Barrow – we’ve a good chance of winning the cup.”