Scott Murrell will do anything he can to play in Challenge Cup semi-final

Halifax coach Simon Grix says captain Scott Murrell will do anything he can to make himself available for their Challenge Cup semi-final against St Helens.

Murrell, 33, was taken to hospital with a neck injury after the game against Dewsbury at the weekend, but revealed afterwards that there had been no fracture and it was just sore.

The Championship side are huge underdogs against the runaway Super League league leaders.

Grix said: “It was just whiplash. Our doctors were worried enough to be taking him off in an ambulance but he’s had a scan and he’s OK. He’s got a stiff neck but hopefully six days is enough time to recover.

“He text me 20 minutes after saying don’t worry, I’ll be right.

“He’d do anything he can to get out there if needed and Sunday showed how much this club relies on Scott to be our leader and the main decision maker and without him we went to pieces a little bit.

“Everyone else is OK. We had a few lads who didn’t play on Sunday and to be honest, based on the performance I’d be hard pressed not to pick them.

“Sunday was an opportunity to play yourself in to a jersey for this big occasion we’ve been thinking about, but they’ve probably played themselves out of them.”

Grix spent 10 years at Warrington, who face Hull before Halifax’s semi-final at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday, but never played in a final as a player, with injury ruling him out on all three occasions.

He played in losing semi-final teams for the Wolves in 2013 and 2014.