Halifax Panthers have announced with great delight that Ryan Lannon, the 27-year-old forward, has signed a new one-year deal with the club. This agreement ensures Lannon’s presence at The Shay until the culmination of the 2024 Betfred Championship season. Having recently joined Halifax Panthers from Salford Red Devils, a Super League side, on a contract expiring at the end of this season, Lannon’s decision to extend his stay demonstrates his commitment to the club.
Lannon, a native of Wigan, quickly found his place in Simon Grix’s side and has displayed commendable performances. Waste no time, Lannon expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I’m over the moon to get the deal done. Obviously, it’s happened quite quickly, but it just shows how much I’m enjoying my rugby again, and I enjoy coming to training all the time now, so it’s good to get it sorted and kick on for next year now.”
The forward’s immediate renewal with Halifax Panthers demonstrates his dedication to rediscovering his love for the sport and regaining his form. Lannon explained, “To be honest, I didn’t even look anywhere else. I’ve just been focusing on getting back to enjoying my rugby again and getting my form back. And then when Halifax offered me a contract again, I just didn’t think twice and re-signed for next year. It’s always in the back of your mind what you’re going to do for next year, and obviously, I’ve done it quite early now so I can relax, keep enjoying my rugby and keep getting better week on week.”
Reflecting on his recent performances, Lannon expressed confidence in his progress, saying, “I’d like to think I’ve been going alright since I’ve come back. Obviously, I didn’t do any pre-season, so the matches have been my fitness, and the more matches I play, the fitter I get. Hopefully, that continues, and the fans will keep seeing a little bit more.”
Lannon also expressed his immense satisfaction with his experience at Halifax Panthers thus far, particularly highlighting the electric atmosphere at the games. He enthused, “I’ve loved every minute of it so far. All the games I’ve played in have been big crowds and great atmospheres so far. They’ve been quite good turnouts like the Bulls and Saints games were unreal, so hopefully, it just keeps kicking on. The way we’ve been going on the field, we’ve just been getting better and better each week now since I’ve been here, so the higher we can get up the table, who knows what can happen when we get to the playoffs.”
Panthers head coach Simon Grix expressed his satisfaction with securing Lannon’s services, stating, “We’re happy to have Ryan with us. We got the opportunity to get him in, and I suppose that was a little bit of a ‘try before you buy’ thing. I think we needed a few training sessions where he showed a bit of maturity. Obviously, last time we had him we all remembered him as a decent character and that, but he’s grown up a bit since then, and his rugby IQ has improved a bit as well, to be fair.”
Grix went on to praise Lannon’s unique qualities, emphasising his strength and ability to challenge opponents effectively. “He’s freakishly strong and very awkward to put down. He’s not necessarily the run-in and knocks four blokes on their backside kind of guy, but he’s taking four to tackle him, and they don’t always get him down, which then leaves a couple of bodies out of their defensive line, which is good for us to play off the back of. He’s quite a big bloke as well; there are loads of different bits that he’s brought to us since joining, but I think we’re just scratching the surface. I think he’ll continue to get better as the season goes along. We’re happy to have him here with us.”
Halifax Panthers supporters can look forward to witnessing Ryan Lannon’s continued contributions to the team as they strive for success in the 2024 Betfred Championship season.
