Whitehaven’s relegation means that West Cumbria’s two professional rugby league clubs will be facing each other in League One for the 2025 season.
Both clubs have no coach appointed so far for next season with Kyle Amor standing down after a brave attempt to keep Whitehaven in the Championship.
Workington Town are expected to name their new coach later this week and firm favourite to get the nod at the Fibrus Community Stadium is ex-Haven coach Jonty Gorley.
He is a former Town hooker who later went on to work at the club as an assistant coach, so would be “going home” after his draining time in charge of Whitehaven when they were struggling with financial problems.
But could the clubs be ‘swapping’ their coaches? Gorley would be taking over from Anthony Murray at Town and the rumour mill has been in overdrive suggesting that he could be staying in west Cumbria with Whitehaven!
He was all set to join Keighley but a short piece from the Rugby League Express claimed their sources had told them the Cougars were not to go ahead and had torn up the two-year contract for Murray.
Murray was expected to take up the coaching reins at Cougar Park on December 1 after two seasons in charge of Workington.
It appears as though the Cougars have reconsidered that deal and instead, interim coach Jake Webster, who is still effectively Keighley’s director of rugby, will take the job on a permanent basis in a surprise twist.
Keighley have not followed up to deny that, or even to confirm it, as they wait to find their opponents – Hunslet or Rochdale again – for the right to take on the team which finishes third bottom of the Championship, which will be either Swinton Lions or Barrow Raiders.
For Whitehaven, though, there are major questions to ask themselves, not least – How did we get into this position?
How do they guarantee financial stability, who will be the coach and where are the players going to come from – and those are just for starters.
There’s a lot of work to be done, and if they can get it right, maybe a couple of years in League One to reset, live within their means and find the right men to take them forward again, relegation might not be a bad thing.
