Draw brings muted delight

Jun 25 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Giants 22 - Broncos 22. IT was as if Huddersfield Giants had won the Challenge Cup!

The reaction of those loyal supporters who are still keeping the faith during these dark Super League days could hardly contain their delight as the final hooter sounded and a draw had been achieved.

Brandon Costin's last-gasp conversion helped earn his side their first point of the campaign and ensured a new Super League record of 18 straight defeats was avoided.

Yet mixed with the upbeat emotion of breaking this season's duck was the harsh reality that this was again another far from convincing Giants' performance.

With the Broncos lacking nine senior players, Huddersfield had been handed their best opportunity to get off the mark - and they almost blew it!

Everything had been geared to getting that first victory under coach Tony Smith, but in the end there was just widespread relief that defeat had at least been avoided.

Quite simply, the home side have played a lot better than this this year and come away with nothing.

And if they had lost an 18th consecutive top-flight match they would again have had only themselves to blame.

Both of London's second-half tries were shameful from Huddersfield's point of view.

The first came when the Giants' were fast asleep as Nigel Roy took a tap on his 25 and raced clear to score.

And then in the 78th minute Costin's pass was intercepted by Denis Moran who raced in at the corner.

Fortunately, however, Brett Warton's touchline conversion attempt hit a post and the Giants were just six points behind.

For once, the luck was with the home side, and there was just enough time to salvage something from a contest that they had done their level best to hand to the opposition.

Ben Kusto's short kick-off was collected by prop Troy Stone, who showed up well on debut despite still suffering the effects of jet lag, and the Giants had one last tilt at the Broncos' line.

Within two plays, Costin had driven the ball to the corner, five yards from the visitors' line, and fed David Atkins to crash over near the corner.

It was now up to Costin - in the absence of substituted regular goalkicker Steve McNamara - to make amends for the earlier intercepted pass.

Yet there was nothing to worry about.

Costin was clearly the calmest man in the ground as he casually struck the ball between the posts as if he was on the practice pitch.

A thrilling end to a nerve-racking match had been secured.

If only the Giants could have produced this sort of play in the opening half!

After the interval, they ran in four tries to their opponents' two, but in the first 40 minutes they were unable to get any points on the board.

Huddersfield did have more than their fair share of the possession and territorial advantage, yet lacked that creative spark to do something about it.

It was crying out for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and inspire the Giants to the line, but there was no-one there to put up their hand and take that responsibility.

Eventually, the exciting Stanley Gene came on in the 33rd minute and started to change all that.

But even he was powerless to stop the Broncos leading 12-0 at the interval with well-created tries from Andy Johnson and Moran, both converted by Warton.

However, with the likes of Steve Molloy, Andrew Frew and Dale Cardoza all having come agonisingly close, there's no way the Giants should have been behind.

Also in their defence, was the way in which referee Ian Smith was overseeing the contest.

London are famed for their spoiling tactics, and they were at it again - marching offside, holding down for as long as possible and obstructing players in back play.

So why didn't Smith do something about it?

Luckily, on four occasions Huddersfield found a way around the spoiling tactics to register scores.

The first came in the 46th minute when prop Mick Slicker burst clear on halfway, drew full-back Glen Air and fed the supporting Gene to somersault his way over the line for McNamara to add the goal.

The Broncos hit back with Roy's awful score to re-open a 12-point lead, and the signs were again ominous.

But when Martin Gleeson and Frew combined for Gleeson to stretch over in the corner, hopes were again raised.

And they soared even further in the 75th minute when good work from Chris Langley set up the impressive Paul Reilly to shake off numerous tackles to score, and for Costin to goal.

Costin then undid the good work with his pass being intercepted by Moran with two minutes remaining.

Yet, for the first time this season, the Giants were not to be denied.

Match facts

Huddersfield Giants: Reilly; Frew, Gleeson, Cardoza, Langley; Costin, Kusto; Molloy (Stone 22mins, Molloy 58mins, Stone 75mins), Rowley, Marshall (Slicker 28mins), Walker (Lomax 50mins), Atkins (Gene 33mins), McNamara (Atkins 64mins).

Tries - Gene (46mins), Gleeson (65mins), Reilly (75mins), Atkins (79mins).

Goals - McNamara 1 from 1, Costin 2 from 3.

London Broncos: Sykes (Air 40mins); Lupton, Johnson, Roy, Warton; Gillett, Moran; Mestrov (Hughes 28mins, Mestrov 48mins, Hughes 60mins, Mestrov 68mins), Air (Dooley 26mins), Retchless, Millard, Parker, Dymock. Subs (not used): Iwenofu, Sozi.

Tries - Johnson (16mins, Moran (38mins & 78mins), Roy (61mins).

Goals - Warton 3 from 5.

Half-time - 0-12.

Referee - Ian Smith (Oldham)..

Attendance - 2,235.

Scrums won - Huddersfield 10, London 9.

Penalties conceded - Huddersfield 9, London 9.

Top Huddersfield tacklers - Costin 25, Rowley 22, Stone 18, Walker 16, Atkins 16, Kusto 16.