Huddersfield Giants' Brett Hodgson: We'll stick together to win

Aug 11 2009 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

BRETT’S CUP WARNING

PROUD captain Brett Hodgson has heaped praise on his teammates for their efforts in getting the Giants to Wembley.

But he has also warned them not to take their eye off the Super League ball between now and the Challenge Cup final against Warrington on August 29.

The vastly-experienced Hodgson was once again one of the stars of the show and was named the Carnegie man-of-the-match as the Giants beat Cup kings St Helens 24-14 in a thrilling semi-final showdown at Warrington on Sunday.

That booked Huddersfield a first Wembley appearance since 1962 when they were beaten by Wakefield.

Before the dream final fixture later this month, however, the third-placed Giants have two big Super League games at home to Bradford Bulls this Sunday and then at leaders St Helens the following Friday.

And Hodgson knows they can’t afford to let the trip to Wembley affect their bid for Super League play-off glory.

“To beat St Helens on Sunday was a great feeling,” said the 31-year-old goal-kicking full-back.

“When Stephen Wild scored near the end to put us out of reach, I just couldn’t believe it. That was when the reality of it all began to sink in.

“To play at Wembley is an absolute dream, and now we’ve beaten Saints we can really start to think about it and what it means to everyone at the club.

“But, at the same time, it’s also important we try to put that to bed for the next week-and-a-half or so, because we’ve got two important Super League games to play before then.

“We’re obviously hoping to do well in both of them, not just for what it could mean for our Super League bid, but also in terms in making sure we’re in good shape for the final.

“If we can do that, then we can really start to enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of preparing to play Warrington at Wembley.”