Giants blow a victory chance

May 14 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Giants 26 - 46 Tigers. THE struggling Giants had their best chance ever of breaking their Super League duck.

At half-time they were 20-8 ahead after producing a scintillating 40 minutes of action-packed rugby league.

Everything was in place to kick-on and bring that depressing nine-match losing run to an end.

Unfortunately, however, this is the Huddersfield Giants.

All this promising 40 minutes turned out to be was the latest false dawn in the four years of Super League misery for the McAlpine club.

After a start that offered so much promise it ended in abject failure as the Tigers turned the contest upside down to score seven second-half tries to a last-minute consolation effort from Dale Cardoza.

And what was particularly worrying was that the manner of the Giants' collapse was almost identical to that witnessed in so many of the previous games.

Not only was this the latest Huddersfield second-half fade out, but it was also the latest occasion when the Giants were hopelessly outmuscled by their opponents and simply had no answers.

This time it was second-half substitute Michael Smith who did all the damage, almost bursting clear through the heart of the defence at will to create numerous tryscoring chances. While the fact that veteran Castleford prop Dean Sampson helped himself to a hat trick of tries proved how much the visiting forwards were in control.

That's not to say the Giants pack played all that badly, it's just that they were simply unable to hold a side whose game was based on forward power.

And that, again, is a worry.

There's no question that Giants staff are working around the clock in a bid to bring in extra firepower, but new recruits are needed, and needed right now!

Also, the bigger the better, because the Giants have already learned to their cost on so many occasions this season that big men count for so much.

Yet there was a feeling in the opening half that having a lighter more mobile pack might be the key to success against the Tigers.

Although Sampson and fellow prop Nathan Sykes were doing some damage up the middle, the Huddersfield tacklers were doing their job.

They were, of course, no doubt buoyed by the dream start given to them by the opening try.

That came after just five minutes when hard-working Brandon Costin broke clear from deep inside his own half and fed Ben Kusto to outpace the cover to score.

Steve McNamara added the goal - the first in a five out of five tally - and the perfect start had been secured.

Yet it wasn't until the back end of the half that the Giants were able to cut loose.

With Sampson charging over for two unconverted tries and McNamara slotting over an 11th-minute penalty in between, the sides were locked at 8-8.

That was until the 34th minute when the Giants raced over for two tries in the space of three minutes.

The first, in particular, was an absolute beauty.

The nonchalant way in which full-back Graham Appo meandered back to gather Danny Orr's deep kick and then saunter back to face the opposition was hardly well received by the home contingent.

But Appo knew what he was doing.

As the defenders closed in, the Australian turned on the gas, dummied past a marker and sprinted clear before finding Martin Gleeson on halfway to finish off under the posts.

Then three minutes later Kusto's grubber kick to the corner was just the right speed for Andrew Frew to come tearing through and beat the cover to score.

McNamara's conversion made it 20-8 and a winning platform appeared to have been built.

If the Giants had scored early in the second half it would surely have been curtains.

This they failed to do and the Tigers almost embarrassingly began to cut loose.

Ian Tonks (twice), Jason Flowers (twice), Jon Wells, Orr and Sampson all crossed for scores, and Orr made up for three early misses by finishing with five successful kicks.

Orr's fumble allowed Cardoza to collect and race over in the last minute, but given the previous 39 minutes it was hardly a cause for celebration.

Huddersfield Giants

Appo (Langley 44mins, Appo 54mins); Frew, Costin, Cardoza, Gleeson; Thorman, Kusto; Laughton (Crabtree 24mins, bb, rev 40mins, Crabtree 56mins), Rowley, Marshall (Lomax 62mins), Lomax (Atkins 50mins), Atkins (Rice 32mins), McNamara. Subs not used: Molyneux.

Tries Kusto (5mins), Gleeson (33mins), Frew (36mins), Cardoza (79mins).

Goals McNamara 5 from 5.

Castleford Tigers Flowers; Gay, Wells, Eagar, Pryce (McNally 73mins); Orr, Lennon; Sampson (Tonks 34mins, bb, rev 53mins, Tonks 57mins, bb, rev 70mins), Fritz (Speak 70mins), Sykes (Sampson 67mins), Harland (Smith 44mins), Shaw, Vowles.

Tries Sampson (8mins, 27 mins & 77 mins), Tonks (46 mins & 5 8mins), Flowers (50 mins & 61 mins), Wells (65 mins), Orr (73 mins)

Goals Orr 5 from 9.

Half-time 20-8.

Referee Richard Silverwood (Mirfield).

Attendance 3,423.

Scrums won Huddersfield 9, Castleford 8.

Penalties conceded Huddersfield 8, Castleford 6.

Top Huddersfield tacklers Atkins 28, Costin 24, Rice 23, Lomax 21.

THE Giants are in Academy Championship action against Castleford Tigers at Fartown tonight (7.30).