Match report: St Helens 12 Huddersfield Giants 10

Aug 22 2009 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

FOR 64 minutes, heroic Huddersfield Giants were able to dream about pulling off one of the Super League shocks of the season.

Fielding an almost full second-string side with one eye firmly on next week’s Challenge Cup final at Wembley, the Giants were almost unbelievably 10-8 ahead against a star-studded St Helens line-up.

With Huddersfield producing the sort of amazing defensive effort that was at the heart of their Challenge Cup semi-final victory over their hosts 12 days before, a first Super League win for the brave Yorkshiremen at Knowsley Road was a very realistic possibility.

With just six members of the side that won the semi-final taking to the field – Cudjoe, Moore, Griffin, Lunt, Jackson and Kirmond – everything suggested this was going to be mission impossible.

But that couldn’t have been further from the truth during a dream opening spell.

Straight from Leroy Cudjoe’s kick-off, the Giants gained possession and within four plays, the impressive Shaun Lunt dummied over from close range under the posts.

Cudjoe converted and the Giants had stunned everyone by taking a 6-0 lead.

That, however, was just the start.

Five minutes later Cudjoe just failed to collect Michael Lawrence’s grubber kick to the corner, but two minutes later the in-form winger wasn’t to be denied.

And it was 18-year-old debutant full-back Elliott Hodgson who made it possible, slipping the ball out of the back door for Cudjoe to collect and squeeze in superbly in the corner.

Unfortunately, his conversion attempt hit a post, but at 10-0 few in the Giants ranks were complaining!

But after 18 minutes the mood changed dramatically inside the visitors camp.

As Danny Kirmond drove the ball in, he fell awkwardly under a double Saints tackle and had to be stretchered off with a medial ligament injury to his left knee.