Murphy said the club “operated really stringently” last year to make sure they remained in the black, “because we needed it for IMG points and everything else. We stayed in the black by under £1,000,” he added.
“We’ve already been hit by injuries this year that are costing us thousands to get sorted so it’s a comfort blanket but also gives (coach) Allan (Coleman) the ability to have more loan players available, or get more players signed on until the end of the year.
“We were in the frame for challenging anyway. It does give us the ability, if we can get some players in on loan, or some signed for the back end of the year, to challenge.
“We came fifth last year and are hoping for higher again this year.”
The lure of playing Super League title challengers Warrington, based just seven miles away, has grabbed the interest of a town which once boasted a team containing greats of the game like Martin Offiah, Alan Tait and Jonathan Davies, and which became the first official World Club champions in 1989-90.
“We’ve surpassed 4,200 tickets as of this morning and Warrington have requested more so we’ve opened additional blocks. I’m hoping that we’ll be getting 5,500 to 6,500 people here on Saturday,” said Murphy.
