Giants fail to deliver

Sep 13 2003 By Chris Roberts, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield Giants 12 - 25 Warrington Wolves. Wolves prove far too strong as Huddersfield fall foul of referee

WHAT a crying shame that the Giants should sign off a superb home Super League campaign with a spectacle such as this.

When Huddersfield needed to come up with the performance of their lives to keep their slender play-off hopes alive, they failed to deliver.

Many factors contributed to this night of bitter disappointment, including the lack-lustre Giants display as opposed to the thoroughly professional performance produced by their impressive visitors.

But once again the way the match was controlled by referee Russell Smith has to come under scrutiny.

Had Smith been brave enough to send off Warrington prop Mark Hilton for a third-minute high tackle on Paul Reilly which left the full-back dazed and confused and unable to recall the incident afterwards, there would surely have been none of the ill-tempered nonsense that was to follow.

Yes, the Giants did go on to lose a fair share of discipline as a result - and there can be no excuse for that.

However, it must have been so frustrating for the home players to see Smith go for the `on-report' cop-out on Hilton rather than take firm and decisive action there and then.

With Hilton having escaped, the tone was set for the remaining 77 minutes, with a total of six players spending time in the sin-bin and a mass brawl being placed on report.

Ben Roarty (holding down), Reilly (late challenge) and Paul March (offside) were all given 10 minutes for technical offences, while Jamie Bloem was ordered to cool off for his part in the major brawl.

Warrington duo Nathan Wood and Ben Westwood were also shown the yellow card as a result of the brawl.