# 1996 Halifax Blue Sox season

The 1996 Halifax Blue Sox season was the club's first season in the Super League. Coached by Steve Simms, the Halifax Blue Sox competed in Super League I and finished in 6th place. The club also reached the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup.

## Table

Super League I :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | St Helens (C) | 22 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 950 | 455 | +495 | 40 | Qualified for Premiership semi final |
| 2 | Wigan | 22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 902 | 326 | +576 | 39 | Qualified for Premiership semi final |
| 3 | Bradford Bulls | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 767 | 409 | +358 | 34 | Qualified for Premiership semi final |
| 4 | London Broncos | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 611 | 462 | +149 | 25 | Qualified for Premiership semi final |
| 5 | Warrington Wolves | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 569 | 565 | +4 | 24 | |
| 6 | Halifax Blue Sox | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 667 | 576 | +91 | 21 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Eagles | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 599 | 730 | −131 | 20 | |
| 8 | Oldham Bears | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 473 | 681 | −208 | 19 | |
| 9 | Castleford Tigers | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 548 | 599 | −51 | 18 | |
| 10 | Leeds | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 555 | 745 | −190 | 12 | |
| 11 | Paris Saint-Germain | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 398 | 795 | −397 | 7 | |
| 12 | Workington Town (R) | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 325 | 1021 | −696 | 5 | Relegated to Division One |

## Squad

Statistics include appearances and points in the Super League and Challenge Cup.
| Player | Apps | Tries | Goals | DGs | Points |
| Asa Amone | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Paul Anderson | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Simon Baldwin | 22 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| David Bastian | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Bentley | 21 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 88 |
| Johnny Brewer | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Carl Briggs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Chris Chester | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Dean | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Abi Ekoku | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| St John Ellis | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Carl Gillespie | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Brandon Greenwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graeme Hallas | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Karl Harrison | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Highton | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Michael Jackson | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Wayne Jackson | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Andy James | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Ketteridge | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oliver Marns | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Marshall | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mick Martindale | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Moana | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| Paul Moriarty | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damian Munro | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Wayne Parker | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Perrett | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Mark Preston | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Rika | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Rowley | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| John Schuster | 23 | 8 | 111 | 2 | 256 |
| Danny Seal | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Roy Southernwood | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fereti Tuilagi | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Mike Umaga | 21 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 68 |

## Transfers
### In

| Player | From | Date |
| Brandon Greenwood | Hull F.C. | January 1996 |
| Johnny Brewer | Parramatta | July 1996 |
| Martin Pearson | Featherstone Rovers | December 1996 |
| Daio Powell | Wakefield Trinity | December 1996 |

### Out

| Player | Pos | Date |
| Grant Anderson | Castleford Tigers | February 1996 |
| Mick Martindale | Wakefield Trinity | November 1996 |
| Craig Rika | Wakefield Trinity | November 1996 |