Woeful show embarrasses

Jun 11 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Bulls 78 - 18 Giants. IT'S no wonder the calls to have Huddersfield Giants kicked out of Super League are continuing to gain momentum.

The perennial strugglers did absolutely nothing to help silence their critics after producing another woeful top-flight display.

In fact, all this latest defeat has achieved is to give further weight to the ever-increasing lobby calling for the Giants' Super League head.

Quite simply, Huddersfield were atrocious.

Although they were up against a Bradford Bulls side who were in irresistible form and produced an awesome display worthy of a side that is top of Super League, the Giants should still not have been as bad as this.

The first 14 minutes, in particular, were a complete and utter embarrassment.

In that time, the visitors had touched the ball just twice - one of those was a knock-on - and they were an incredible 28-0 down!

It was impossible to know whether to laugh or cry.

The way in which the Bulls were brushing aside tackles to create opening after opening was a farce.

Graham Mackay, Shane Rigon, Daniel Gartner, Jamie Peacock and Leon Pryce had all crossed for scores before they had broken sweat and Henry Paul was on hand to land four of the conversions.

The game was clearly already over as a contest and thoughts were obviously turning to the possibility of a record Super League score.

In the end, thankfully, that never materialised. The Bulls' 96-16 hammering of Salford a year ago still remains the target to beat.

It also just fell short of Huddersfield's record Super League defeat, the 86-6 thrashing at Leeds two seasons ago.

It was, nevertheless, the highest defeat for a top-flight side this season, surpassing the 74-16 triumph for Leeds over St Helens.

And that, in particular, left those who are dead against the Giants remaining in Super League rubbing their hands in glee.

As the half progressed, however, those keen to see a record defeat lost some heart.

With substitute Oliver Wilkes making a good impression on Super League VI debut to tighten up the defence, the Giants began to stem the tide.

They even had the audacity to score an excellent try of their own, with the hard-working Steve McNamara sending Dale Cardoza charging over with a superb long cut-out pass.

McNamara also landed the conversion and 28-6 did look a little more presentable.

Yet that only appeared to wake up Bradford from their slumbers, and by half-time the record was back on track.

In the final 10 minutes Henry Paul, Rigon and Tevita Vaikona had added to the home side's tally to make it 44-6.

The momentum was maintained after the break as one-time Giants top target Mackay and Vaikona powered through to make it 56 points in 48 minutes.

Mercifully, the Giants then had their best spell in this one-sided contest, with work on defence laying the foundation.

Andrew Frew's excellent take of a high ball, Paul Reilly and Mark Moxon's tracking back of Rigon to save a certain try and a combined effort in the corner to force Vaikona to lose the ball over the line were soon to earn their rewards at the right end of the field.

Hooker Paul Rowley made his side's second try possible with a superb dart through the heart of the Bulls' defence and offload to Frew who turned on the gas to beat two defenders to the line.

McNamara's goal made it 56-12.

And five minutes later the lead was further reduced when McNamara's perfect short pass sent Reilly charging through for a converted try on his senior return.

That 18 points almost became 24 two minutes later when Frew came desperately close to touching down McNamara's perfectly-weighted kick to the corner.

But that close-call was the end of the Giants' challenge.

For the remaining 13 minutes it was again all Bradford.

Mackay set the ball rolling and in the final 10 minutes Nathan McAvoy, Joe Vagana and Michael Withers all raced over, with Paul landing the final three conversions to finish with 11.

The fact that Giants head coach Tony Smith elected to rest Chris Thorman and Steve Molloy who have both been carrying knocks, and started with David Atkins and Ben Kusto on the bench clearly proves that he regards next week's home clash against Salford as a more important assignment.

Let's just hope his players have the character to pick up the pieces from yesterday and produce the goods next Sunday.

Match Facts

Bradford Bulls Withers; Vaikona, Mackay, Rigon, Pryce; Paul (H), Deacon (McAvoy 40mins); Vagana (Anderson 23mins, McDermott 54mins, bb, rev 58mins, Vagana 68mins), Paul (R), McDermott (Fielden 16mins), Gartner, Peacock, Forshaw (Gilmour 57mins).

Tries - Mackay (2mins, 43mins & 67mins), Rigon (5mins & 33mins), Gartner (7mins), Peacock (11mins), Pryce (14mins), Paul (H) (30mins), Vaikona (39mins & 48mins), McAvoy (70mins), Vagana (72mins), Withers (78mins).

Goals - Paul (H) 11 from 14.

Huddersfield Giants - Reilly; Frew, Gleeson (Kusto 17mins), Cardoza, O'Hare; McNamara, Moxon; Slicker (Molyneux 39mins, Slicker 58mins), Rowley, Laughton (Atkins 25mins, bb, rev 65mins), Marshall (Molyneux 70mins), Lomax (Atkins 70mins), Rice (Wilkes 11mins).

Tries - Cardoza (27mins), Frew (58mins), Reilly (63mins).

Goals - McNamara 3 from 3.

Half-time - 44-6.

Referee - Ian Smith (Oldham).

Attendance - 10,886.

Scrums won - Bradford 7, Huddersfield 11.

Penalties conceded - Bradford 5, Huddersfield 6.

Top Huddersfield tacklers - Marshall 26, Slicker 23, McNamara 20, Laughton 19, Wilkes 17.