Giants simply too powerful

Jun 24 2002 By Doug Thomson, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Workington 12 - 54 Giants. THIS Derwent Park clash had a rival attraction just across the road in the shape of a Dr Who convention, complete with real-life Dalek.

McNamara added the extras, and then two minutes later, hooker Darren Turner's neat break set up second row Rob Roberts, who delivered a well-executed grubber kick, again on the sixth, to which Gene got the crucial touch despite the attentions of four defenders.

This time McNamara missed with his conversion attempt, but after Sice's knock-on yielded possession to the Giants, it was his beautifully-judged kick which sat up perfectly for O'Hare to collect and scoot in under the sticks to touch down and set up a simple goal in the eighth minute.

Another knock-on, by centre Jamie Beaumont after 13 minutes, was similarly punished as the ball was worked up to Roberts, who set up fellow second row Matt Walker for another by-the-posts touchdown which McNamara again extended.

After shipping 22 points inside a quarter of an hour, Workington managed to go the same length of time without conceding, but despite good cross-field movement of the ball, seldom looked like applying the finishing touch.

That wasn't a problem for Huddersfield, and after Gene had a hat-trick effort ruled out for a forward pass, scrum half Moxon's neat break from midfield in the 31st minute paved the way for prop Slicker to cross under the posts to register his first try of the season and set up another simple conversion.

Workington finally got points on the board just before the break, when a close-range scrum created pressure which finally bore fruit when player-coach Martin Wood kicked through for Sice to get the touch.

Steven Wood, playing at scrum half in place of injured Kiwi playmaker Tane Manihera, notched the conversion.

But Huddersfield were soon on the offensive again in the second half, and after substitute prop Heath Cruckshank lost control agonisingly close to the line, Moxon collected his first try of the afternoon after good work by Ben Cooper, playing in place of Reilly at full-back.

With McNamara's conversion, it was 34-6, and while the deficit was reduced by six points in the 50th minute, when Sice again latched onto a Martin Wood kick and Steve Wood goaled to complete a phase of play started by O'Hare's concession of a penalty after a skirmish with Beaumont, there was no genuine threat of a comeback.

After Roberts' 56th-minute effort was harshly ruled out for a forward pass, the 28-point cushion was restored on the hour, when Roberts' kick flummoxed full-back Neil Frazer and Wittenberg nipped into free Moxon for his second try, which McNamara goaled.