Halifax Panthers women's young guns make their mark in open age

The Halifax Panthers women are looking to start their season with a bang on Sunday with a home fixture against Wigan St Pats. 

The women have played two cup games before the start of the season. Despite two strong performances from the women, sadly they did not come away with the spoils but have their eyes firmly set on the league.   

The first game saw four of their youngest recruits making their debut for the Panthers, three of which played their first ever open aged game. 

16 year old winger Erin Benson joined the women’s team from Queensbury U16’s.  On making her debut she had this to say. 

“ I was very nervous at the beginning but everyone talked me through everything and was cheering me on, I felt very happy and proud to be playing for the team. The open age training is harder and a lot more demanding, but a lot better and a lot of fun” 

Erin made a great contribution to the game in defence and held her own on the wing, she has speed on her side and is tipped to be one to watch. 

16 year old prop and fellow Queensbury player Amelia Greenwood made a great impact from the bench and did not look out of place in the middle of the pitch, strong in defence and even stronger in attack. 

She reflects on her time with the Panthers women and says 

“The training environment has been great and everyone has been very supportive, they are always happy to help me if I don’t understand something. Before the first game I was very nervous as I didn’t really know what to expect as its so different to playing U16’s. The support on the pitch was great! The team was always helpful and letting me know where I should be and what to do, they always gave me reassurance when I got the ball. I found the biggest difference between open age and the U16’s is the amount of moves for games and the support you receive from your fellow team members.” 

16 year old Molly England joined the panthers from Elland and has stepped up not only into the half back role but also in the absence of Vice Captain Gemma Walker, Molly was given the role and took it with pride, she was ever present in attack directing the team around the pitch and solid in defence. 

“Surprisingly I lacked in nerves, even though I knew I’d be playing with women who had more experience playing the game. In training the intensity levels and concentration from both players and coaches heightened between training at U16’s and open age at the Panthers. The support from players to improve skill at training shows a great team spirit. During my first game the support from players never lacked, players never let each others heads drop, despite mistakes that were made, we all encouraged each other to carry on and make up for it in the next set.” she continued to say 

“After the game it was a great feeling because the team continues to support each other. At the point of finishing the game it settled my thoughts and I knew I wanted to play open aged with the Panthers.” 

17 year old winger Aaliyah Tooth joined the Panthers from Illingworth and she slotted right into the squad, she has agility and pace to burn and made some massive metres down the field with every run she took. Aaliyah says that the training environment and encouragement she has received since joining has made her feel at home in the team. 

“Training was really fun from the start, everyone was so welcoming from the first session. Before the game I was really nervous but I was excited to play in a Halifax shirt. After the game felt amazing, I felt like I played one of the best games I had played in a while” 

Aaliyah gave thanks to fellow team mate and Halifax Panthers community coach Kara Colvin for the support she received. 

“Although I got a lot of encouragement on the pitch, Kara being in my corner and talking me through the match really helped.” 

The Panthers are always looking for new players to bolster their squad for the season, regardless of age, so if you're looking for a new team or want to return to playing, training takes place on Wednesday evenings 7:30pm-9pm at the OSCA foundation community sports hub, Cousin Lane, Ovenden, HX1 8AD. You can email halifaxrlfcwomen@gmail.com or message the team facebook page @Halifax panthers women to express your interest