Survival for Hunslet 'not a walk in the park'

Hunslet won their opening two fixtures, but have not played since losing at Featherstone Rovers in a Coral Challenge Cup tie on March 13.

The club insist they are in a “good position to pull through this challenge”, despite setbacks on the sponsorship front, but admit surviving the Covid-19 crisis “won’t be a stroll in the park”.

A statement issued by chairman Kenny Sykes and the club’s board said: “The RFL are working incredibly hard to get things up and running again and we and other clubs are supporting them in the best way we can.

“However, we cannot rule out the possibility we will not play again this season.

“That is not a comment from a position of knowledge, but more a pragmatic realism given what we are seeing and hearing daily from a variety of government sources.

“They are already openly discussing a phased return to normality and no doubt ‘events’ - the heading under which sport appears to sit - will be towards the back of that approach.

“We are not looking to set any hares running here, but we feel it is important to manage expectations.”

Playing without crowds is a possibility, but the statement stressed: “We, along with other Championship and League One clubs, have made it clear reconvening the season behind closed doors would put us under severe financial pressure - and the RFL is sympathetic to that point of view.”

Commercial partner Clipper’s sponsorship of Hunslet will end after this season and the club say another key backer, Alpine, are no longer trading, which makes the support of fans and members even more vital.

The statement added: “The club has a long, proud and probably unmatched history of overcoming major challenges – often, crucially, through the support of its fan-base and of the wider south Leeds community.