Marshall pledges to stay loyal to Fax

HIS REPUTATION as one of the best British coaches around is continually growing but Richard Marshall says he is 'loyal' to Halifax.
7 January 2018......   Wakefield Wildcats v Halifax RLFC. 
Halifax coach Richard Marshall. Picture Tony Johnson.7 January 2018......   Wakefield Wildcats v Halifax RLFC. 
Halifax coach Richard Marshall. Picture Tony Johnson.
7 January 2018...... Wakefield Wildcats v Halifax RLFC. Halifax coach Richard Marshall. Picture Tony Johnson.

The ex-Warrington Wolves assistant has flourished since taking on the head coach role at The Shay ahead of the 2015 season.

Against the odds, Marshall has led part-timers Fax to the Qualifiers in three of his four campaigns in charge with their latest venture in the Middle Eights starting against Toronto Wolfpack on Sunday.

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The 42-year-old former Ireland international is widely tipped to one day lead a side in Super League.

But Marshall said: “I’ve got another year on my contract and have really enjoyed what I‘ve done here for the last four years.

“I have got ambitions to coach in Super League.

“Whether that’s with Halifax or someone else we’ll have to see.

“But it is a fantastic club and the people here have been brilliant to me.

“I will remain loyal and keep at it.”

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Undoubtedly, he has proved a stellar acquisition for Fax, helping to build them both on and off the field.

“From the business point of view, to be a consistent top-four team is great,” added Marshall.

“We plan to be successful on and off the field but my job is predominantly to improve the players each week, month and year.

“The coaching staff and players themselves do that really well.

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“There’s no egos and the team spirit - 100 per cent created by the players - is brilliant; everyone wants to play for the team and one another.

“My vision when I got here four years ago was to get us competitive, improving players each week and to get a reserve grade side.

“We’ve done all of those.”

The next step is hopefully to make a mark in the Qualifiers - they were unable to pick up a point last season and this time around they are the only semi-professional club but Marshall believes they can have a positive impact.

“If it’s enough to win a couple of games then great,” he added.

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“We managed a couple in 2015 but there’s a lot more at stake now.

“People are still unsure about what the make-up of the competition is going to be in the future. It’s an interesting time.

“We’ll see how we get on. But we’re looking forward to it.”

Halifax’s clash with Toronto Wolfpack kicks off at 3pm on Sunday at the MBi Shay Stadium.