Former Halifax back David Nofoaluma has shed light on the sudden demise of the Panthers last month, detailing that the players were told via email regarding their contract status. 

Nofoaluma was one of 22 first-team players at the Panthers at the time of their demise, but has since found himself a new home at Super League side York Knights – via a loan from Championship side Newcastle Thunder.

As a result, the dual-Samoa and Serbia international has joined fellow back Tanguy Zenon in the top flight, with the former Catalans Dragons man heading to West Yorkshire outift Huddersfield Giants for the rest of the season, while Charlie Graham, Jack Hansen, Tom Inman, Ronan Dixon, Bayley Liu and Brad Day have also penned deals with Championship sides for the rest of the season.

David Nofoaluma sheds light on Halifax demise

Financial issues had surrounded the club even prior to their compulsory winding-up order last month, with a winding-up petition served upon them as far back as October 2024 by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but even then, the sudden nature of their demise caught the rugby league public off guard.

That is also reflected in the testimony of Nofoaluma, who detailed that the players were told via email that they were made free agents.

“It started off with receiving an email,” the winger said. “There was a long statement, but in short, it was pretty much saying that we (the players) were free agents. Fortunately for me, I was performing for Halifax, so it was just a matter of making things happen (with regards to a move).

“It was definitely a shock,” he added. “You’re playing week in and week out, then one night you get an email saying it’s all done. “A lot of things hit you and go through your head, especially for the international players over here, but I’m sure a lot of players were thinking about how they restructure their lives, their careers and jobs and whatnot. It was definitely a big shock.

“Personally, I made my peace with it. I said what I needed to say, and I wrote something up on Facebook. With me coming over here (York), I’ve got no time to wait around and have to move quickly, especially with the journey I’ve been on. As sad as the situation was at Halifax, it worked out for me playing at the top in Super League.”

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But, even if he won’t be returning to the Shay, rugby league is coming back to the town this weekend after the Rugby Football League (RFL) granted membership to a new consortium led by local businessman Martyn Buchan.

As a result, Halifax will welcome London Broncos to the Shay on Sunday (8th March) as well as play out the 2026 Championship season, and Nofoaluma has already thrown his backing behind the new group.

“A lot of the players live near Halifax, have strong ties to the club, have been there for a long time, and just everyone involved there,” he said. “The people who are coming in to take over and take control are going to do a good job and build a structured club.

“The fans deserve it.”

Ahead of their return, Love Rugby League understands that former Panthers head coach Kyle Eastmond will take the reins once more, but he will need to piece together a squad from scratch.

While the aforementioned octet are all plying their trade at new clubs, 14 members of the previous squad are still on the open market and could be brought in to bolster the ranks, and in a similar situation to Salford RLFC, could also dip into the loan market for additional reinforcements.

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