INTERVIEW | Greg Brown | Pre-Halifax Panthers (A) | Betfred Wheelchair Super League

05/08/2025

Sheffield Eagles Wheelchair Head Coach Greg Brown says the side are growing in confidence and competitiveness as they continue in their debut season in the Betfred Wheelchair Super League.

With another tough challenge on the horizon away at Halifax Panthers this weekend, Brown reflected on recent performances, areas of progress, and the development of his young squad.

Coming off a narrow defeat to Hull FC in one of their previous outings, Brown remains upbeat about the performance and growth of his side.

“We had that game last time out against Hull FC where we sadly couldn’t get over the line, everyone put in a really good shift that day,” he said.

“We got so close to them and I’m sure if we were to play them again, we’d have a good chance of beating them.

“We went ahead in that game, but it was just a bit of that Super League experience that got them over the line in the end to find a way to get the win.”

Brown has been honest about the challenges his side has faced in their debut Super League campaign, but believes every match is a valuable learning experience.

“The thing we’ve found so far in the Super League is that you come up against some vastly experienced sides who have played together for a while, in comparison to us where we’ve got a relatively young squad, and I’m sure the players can learn from some of these moments that they’re experiencing on-and-off the pitch.”

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s trip to face Halifax Panthers, Brown sees it as another opportunity to measure progress and continue closing the gap on the league’s elite.

“We’ve already played Halifax so far this year in the Challenge Cup, and we’ll use that defeat against them last time as a point to try and improve on, and the aim is to do better this week,” he explained.

“The gap between the top of the league and the bottom half of the league is quite big, so it’s about now trying to bridge that gap and trying to aim to reach that elite area of the league as you call it, but we can’t just expect that to happen overnight.

“Halifax have got a team full of international players, it’s always a great opportunity to play teams like that, and our players will only develop more by having more regular opportunities to play these really good teams.”

That development is already starting to show, particularly in the club’s younger players, who have stepped up impressively during the season.

“These opportunities are beneficial for the players, we’ve got a really good core of players who have taken their opportunities this year and come up with some good tries, but it’s been really pleasing to see some of the younger ones like Will (Brooks) and Sid (Ramsey) get their opportunities,” Brown added.

“Sid is still only a teenager, but he made his Super League debut against Wigan the other week and he’s been phenomenal. He came from Wakefield and has really stepped up this year. Then we’ve got Will, who’s been scoring some good tries and has also made the step up to Super League really well.”