Match report: Giants 36 Dragons 12
Jul 27 2009 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
HUDDERSFIELD-BORN hero Leroy Cudjoe crowned another excellent wing performance with a stunning hat trick of tries as the Giants made it five Super League wins on the trot to close in on a place in the top-eight play-offs.
The 21-year-old former Newsome Panthers junior’s three tries were at the heart of another rock-solid Giants display that left opponents Catalans Dragons trailing in their wake.
Although the French tried almost every trick in the book – some legal, some not so! – to unsettle their hosts, they had no real answer to Cudjoe and Co.
And even though the Giants weren’t at their very best, they were still able to triumph with a fair amount to spare, with the Huddersfield-born youngster taking the starring role.
But Cudjoe would be the first admit this was far from being a one-man show.
The key to the Giants’ success this season has definitely been their ability to work together as a team, and this once again shone through with the way Cudjoe’s well-taken hat trick was manufactured.
For his opening try, a piece of quick-thinking from Brett Hodgson made it possible, Scott Moore’s grubber kick to the corner set up the second and Luke Robinson’s dazzling footwork made try No3 a relative formality.
And it was that third effort after 74 minutes which finally put the Dragons in their place.
Up until that stage, the visitors from across the Channel had given it their best shot – literally! – throughout a very tough, physical and uncompromising contest.
At various stages, the Giants were on the receiving end of some full-blooded challenges, with hooker Shaun Lunt leaving the field with concussion after nine minutes and Brett Hodgson requiring stitches to a 38th-minute head wound after being caught late by former State of Origin teammate Greg Bird, who was placed on report as a result.
But throughout the contest the Giants held their nerve and their discipline to emerge victorious, although not unscathed!
And the nerves must have been jangling given the start they made.
Within two minutes dangerous full-back Clint Greenshields had crossed for the opener on the back of a Casey McGuire 40-20 and Thomas Bosc’s conversion made it 6-0.
Only desperate defence prevented the Dragons from doubling their advantage three minutes later after a Bosc 40-20.
But after this shakiest of starts, coach Nathan Brown’s men began to settle.
In the sixth minute a last-ditch Greenshields tackle denied Shaun Lunt a try and the Catalans No1 was penalised for holding down.
From the quick tap, the position was worked to the right for Hodgson to instantly palm Liam Fulton’s pass on to Cudjoe to finish off strongly in the corner.
Hodgson was unable to convert, but five minutes later Huddersfield took a lead they were never to lose.
Robinson’s superb break and pass sent Simon Finnigan charging to the line, but Greenshields was again back to cover.
Once again the Australian held his man down – although this time even more cynically – and the sin-bin was the only option.
For a second time, the Giants took a quick tap and this time Hodgson went for the line himself, twisting and turning to force his way over in the corner.
The Huddersfield captain again failed to hit the target with the goal attempt.
But that wasn’t a problem midway through the half when he added the extras to Darrell Griffin’s first try of the season after latching onto Kevin Brown’s short pass.
Then eight minutes later, Cudjoe was latching onto Moore’s kick to the corner for Hodgson to land the conversion and make it 20-6.
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