Former Super League player signs new deal

Halifax Panthers have announced that back rower Matty Gee has signed a new one year contract extension to keep him at The Shay Stadium until the end of the 2024 Betfred Championship season.

The 28 year old Wiganer joined the Panthers from Super League side Leigh Leopards ahead of the 2022 season, and although a shoulder injury might have hampered the start of his Halifax career, Gee has started to show the form that got head coach Simon Grix excited when he first put pen to paper.

“I’m comfortable here at Halifax”, said Gee. “I love the boys and love turning up for them every week and obviously, I’ve got a good relationship with Grixy as well. And I love playing in front of the fans every week so for me, it was a no brainer really.”

“I feel like i’ve been going alright this year but there’s still a lot more to come from me as well so I’m hoping to make a few big improvements throughout the year. After last year and the year I had with my injury, I was just happy to get a full pre season under my belt and wanted to really hit the ground running this year and I feel like i’ve done that so far. I just want to do my bit for the boys.”

And Grix was full of praise for the back rower after cementing his future at The Shay.

“Definitely happy to have nailed Matty down for another season”, said Grix. “It’s nice to get a bit of business done early, it kind of takes the pressure off I suppose for when the door opens on signings and what not. I thought he had a good contribution last year. It was frustrating for him and us that we only got to see him for what ended up only being about 9 games between bans and the shoulder injury that he turned up with. He’s been a good player, he’s been a good addition for us, a really good personality as well as a very strong performer whether that’s in the back row or at loose forward.”

“He’s a real competitor, he keeps turning up for his teammates in defence. He’s a good line runner and got some whack in his defence as well. He’s got some bits he needs to improve like all the lads do but he’s one of those blokes that is looking to do that so that’s definitely an appeal. He’s a good bloke and he’s fit in really well so we’re happy to keep him with us for another year.”

Halifax Panthers Director of Rugby Richard Durgan continued: “Matty was a really obvious choice to try and extend after his time with us so far, he’s been really good for us. He’s a really popular lad around the dressing room and has been very solid for us as a player. It was always on the agenda to get him tied down early before people started looking so pretty glad we managed to get it over the line to keep Matty with us for another year.”