Championship club’s players refuse to fulfil remaining league fixtures as crisis deepens
The Ortus REC, home of Whitehaven Rugby League club - Alamy
Struggling Championship side Whitehaven have plunged into fresh crisis: after their playing squad effectively decided to go on strike and refuse to fulfil the club’s remaining league fixtures.
Haven find themselves in a serious relegation battle at the foot of the Championship, but their problems are much more significant off the field, with players not being paid last month and financial issues mounting. Then, head coach Jonty Gorley resigned minutes after their huge win over Doncaster on Sunday, in which they had just 16 players available.
Gorley cited ‘untenable’ issues as his reason for stepping down and despite former Super League winner Kyle Amor stepping into the breach on Monday, he was informed by the players he inherited that they would not be playing their remaining games unless things changed at the club.
Amor stated that ‘a lot of the current people’ at Haven have felt they are unable to work with the current board and that unless things change, Haven will effectively forfeit the remainder of the 2024 campaign: consigning them to relegation.
Amor explained: “I set off up here to drive today and had spoke to a number of players on Monday, and spoke to the performance staff on Monday. I was quite excited about an opportunity to come up and try and pick up a group that was upset and was a little bit fragile – and fully understandable too.
“I’ve arrived and as I was driving up, things have materialised over the last 24 hours that have made a lot of the current people unable to work with the board here at Whitehaven Rugby League.
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“Unfortunately, by the time I got here, I’ve landed with no performance staff, team managers and I’ve had a conversation with a group of players who are fully united in that they will not play any remaining fixtures in this season for Whitehaven Rugby League unless some drastic measures and conversations can happen between them and the board.
“It’s been well documented over the last couple of years the troubles the club has had. This is just another season and another piece of evidence where the organisation at board level down to the playing staff is broken.
“A lack of trust there between them all, and unfortunately without one you can’t have the other. That’s where we’re at right now. Disappointing but I understand it from everyone concerned with where they’re at.
“They were all pretty unanimous that’s what they were doing. I’m not sure if it can be resolved: I hope it can, we’ll just have to watch this space. But for right now, it seems like.. that’s it.”
Amor did insist that if things could be salvaged and the players agreed to play, he would be willing to coach them.
When asked if he would be willing to lead the club, he said: “100 per cent. There wasn’t another coach in the land that would come up given where they’re at. Being from here and what the town means to me, what were my choices? It was either that or the lads would find it very difficult to reach the level of performance. If it can be resolved, of course I’ll continue.”
Whitehaven travel to bottom club Dewsbury on Sunday and are only inside the Championship’s relegation places on points difference. However, their future now looks more uncertain than ever.
