Delusion and entitlement run rife at Halifax Panthers where reality check is needed

To call Halifax Panthers' defeat to Batley Bulldogs a horrorshow perhaps wouldn't do it justice. A horrible performance saw them thrashed 42-0 and most ominously for Fax, the scoreline was a fair reflection of the game.

The reality is that Halifax haven't performed as well as they can for large parts of the season. Head coach Simon Grix would be the first to admit that and even when victorious, he has, at times, expressed frustration at his side's inability to be consistent within games, never mind week to week. A humbling afternoon at Mount Pleasant, however, saw Fax tumble to unthinkable depths.

There are many ways you could describe Halifax's season so far. Scatty, inconsistent, infuriating. Dissapointing? It depends if people want to accept some harsh truths or not. The reality is many do not, but it's time for some to listen.

Let's start with some facts. If there was a league table for money spent on the squad, Halifax would be in the bottom half of the Championship. It doesn't mean everything, of course - Batley are the epitome of that, but it goes a long way to helping. Yet there appears to be a belief that finishing third, as Haifax have done the last two seasons, is the bare minimum, not an impressive achievement.

Without painting the entire fanbase with the same brush, given the disdain Fax fans hold for the perceived entitlement of their not-so-friendly neighbours down the road in Bradford, the lack of self-awareness and level of hypocrisy is quite remarkable.

Widnes Vikings haven't made the play-offs since their relegation from Super League. Bradford have reached the play-offs once since 2019. These are clubs with bigger fanbases, bigger budgets and more recent Super League history. Halifax have no divine right to do what they do - let's not forget they reached the Challenge Cup semi-final a few years ago.

The reality is Fax, with eight rounds of the season remaining, are in the play-offs and a win away from reaching Wembley for the first time in over 30 years. If you read the reaction of some supporters after the defeat to Batley you'd think they were on the brink of relegation. For a side that, admittedly, has not reached its potential this year, it's not the worst place to be.

The gulf between expectation and reality is substantial. Maybe the club are partly responsible for trying to suggest a dream that isn't attainable right now is possible. But then they're in a thankless position of trying to manage expectations and not disillusioning their fanbase.

This is no slight on the current regime still getting their feet under the table but it has become tedious hearing the people who act as the face of the club tell and sell Super League dreams. We're talking over 20 years here. There have been a lot of words and a lot of bold statements made in those two decades. Far, far fewer actions to make them a reality. IMG's grading scheme might split opinion but it will at least ensure words, claims and plans are held to account. Progress, or lack of it, will be clear now, no hiding place.

All that said, there's no getting away from the fact recent performances, particularly those in the past two defeats to York and Batley, have been hard to stomach. Let's be honest, what was dished up at the weekend was abysmal. The finger, inevitably, has been pointed squarely in the face of Grix and while he is ultimately judged on what his side dish up, there does appear to be a lack of accountability from the playing group.

Watching Fax in some of their testing moments this year, a general observation is that too many are looking for a teammate to fix things rather than trying to fix it themselves. Too many looking for someone to lead them rather than looking to lead themselves. There are some tell-tale signs, a lack of talk behind the sticks and body language after setbacks. All too often, there are a lot of heads down and shoulders slumped in recent weeks.

Form comes and goes for all players, that's sport. But when your coach is questioning how much you want to win, there should be alarm bells ringing and personal pride stung. Are there too many, too comfy? Too many living on past reputation? It's hard to put a finger on it. Talking about the team collectively is unfair as there are some whose effort and passion clearly cannot be questioned.

But the pack has, for several weeks, been rolled. That's not good enough. There are stupid penalties and daft errors at a regular occurrence, they are preventable. Compounding that is the fact those errors are not being backed up and rectified.

One thing Halifax have always had in abundance over many years is sheer desire and a willingness to leave it all out there. Recently, there are some signs they've lost a key trait that has underpinned their past success. Grix is tasked with turning it around and solutions need to be found but they need to come from the playing group too.

And yet, despite all of that, everyone knows there is a performance in this group that means they are still capable of making the club's 150th year a special one. Those displays have been few and far between this year but they are one of only two teams to beat Featherstone and their performance against Bradford in the Challenge Cup was excellent. Ultimately, the season remains well and truly in their hands. They can still achieve what they set out to do.

If they do that, they will have truly defied the odds, regardless of what the fanbase believes. But they need to come up with answers and come up with them quickly.