Class there but lessons to learn

Dec 17 2001 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Giants 30 Eagles 10. THE theme from `The Professionals' has this season been adopted by the Giants to announce their arrival onto the McAlpine field.

It's an apt anthem for the only full-time squad in the Northern Ford Premiership competition.

Yet there were times during yesterday's contest against the Eagles when the boast seemed somewhat off key.

For despite a second successive win Huddersfield failed to ram home their full-time status.

There was obviously a gulf in class between the two sides, with the Giants looking capable of turning up the heat when the opposition had the temerity to apply pressure of their own.

But a real criticism of Huddersfield at this stage is that they are not maintaining the intensity.

Skill-wise, fitness-wise and strength-wise they have looked a class apart against opening-day opponents Doncaster and Sheffield yesterday.

However, they have yet to demonstrate these advantages for a full 80 minutes, and that has proved frustrating.

This may seem a little hyper-critical at this stage of the campaign, and heaven help the opposition when the Giants do get on a roll for a full contest!

But with every NFP opponent ready to raise their game and have a crack at the former Super League `big boys', Huddersfield cannot afford to drop their guard for a moment.

If they do, they could end up finding life rather uncomfortable.

And there were again enough warning signs yesterday to underline the point.

Sheffield came out with all guns blazing - expect this to happen for the remaining 26 NFP games - and for a time threatened an upset.

Within a minute the rock-solid Hefin O'Hare was having to pluck a high ball out of the sky on his own tryline as the Eagles set about their task in uncompromising fashion.

The sin-binning of Sheffield prop Steve Hill for obstructing Paul March after the hooker had taken a quick tap penalty broke the visitors' early momentum and enabled Steve McNamara to give the Giants the lead with a sixth-minute penalty.

But just as Hill was returning to the field, the Eagles took a deserved 6-2 lead, albeit courtesy of a refereeing error.

Match official Paul Lee inexplicably gave Sheffield the hand-over after Eorl Crabtree had been brought down on the fifth tackle!

And immediately Sheffield took full advantage as George Rayner dived over in the corner after a good sweeping move.

Richard Goddard landed a magnificent touchline conversion and the visitors were 6-2 ahead.

Yet as the first half progressed, the Giants demonstrated their professionalism to wear the opposition down and by the break were 14 points clear.

A McNamara penalty midway through the half signalled the fightback and within minutes his side had grabbed their opening try.

Excellent approach play by Ben Cooper, Dave Atkins and Paul March forced Sheffield on the back foot, and McNamara was on hand to find Crabtree to touch down, albeit after a heart-stopping juggling act.

Four minutes later the Giants were over again.

Mark Moxon was halted fractionally short of the line, but the ball was immediately fed to Chris Thorman who jinked over by the posts.

Crabtree then showed amazing strength to barge past three defenders to score in the corner with four minutes later and McNamara's superb touchline goal made it 20-6.

Sheffield's cause was hardly helped when captain Goddard was sin-binned for dissent on the stroke of half-time, and by the time he had returned his side were even further adrift.

Crabtree was denied his hat trick two minutes after the restart when O'Hare's tryscoring pass was adjudged forward.

But three minutes later an Andy Rice break from deep eventually created the position for Rob Roberts to dummy his way over from close range.

And just as Goddard was getting back onto the field O'Hare and Cooper combined for the latter to charge over for a thoroughly deserved try.

The League points were already safely in the bag.

Yet the manner in which the home side eased off was hardly welcomed by head coach Tony Smith.

Rather than turning the screw even tighter, the Eagles were allowed back in, and for the final 20 minutes they were the dominant side.

Billy Kershaw rounded off a good period of pressure, during which Paul Reilly had pulled off two trysaving tackles, to score in the corner and close the gap with 15 minutes remaining.

Then prop Lee Trasler lost possession as he attempted to plant the ball over the line.

Even if the Australian had scored, it wouldn't have affected the final outcome.

But it did teach the Giants a value lesson that nothing can be taken for granted.

Match facts

Huddersfield Giants Reilly; O'Hare, Crabtree, Cooper, Langley (Foster 49mins); Thorman, Moxon; Molyneux (Wittenberg 30mins, Slicker 66mins), March, Slicker (Rice 37mins), Atkins (Hayes 57mins), Roberts (Molyneux 58mins, bb, rev 72mins), McNamara.

Tries - Crabtree (25mins & 37mins), Thorman (29mins), Roberts (45mins), Cooper (48mins).

Goals - McNamara 5 from 7.

Sheffield Eagles - Poynter; Rayner, Hewitt, Foster (Freeman 40mins), Brown; Callaghan, Rhodes; Trasler (Adams 22mins), Dobson, Hill (Bruce 28mins), Kershaw (Brent 28mins, Trasler 59mins, bb), Goddard, Flynn.

Tries - Rayner (16mins), Kershaw (65mins).

Goals - Goddard 1 from 2.

Sin-binning - Hill (6mins, obstruction), Goddard (38mins, dissent).

Half-time - 20-6.

Referee - Paul Lee (Leigh).

Attendance - 2,171.

Scrums won - Huddersfield 4, Sheffield 5.

Penalties conceded - Huddersfield 12, Sheffield 12.

Top Huddersfield tacklers - March 45, McNamara 25, Molyneux 25, Roberts 21, Slicker 21.

Next game - Away to Featherstone Rovers on Boxing Day (11.00).