Former Huddersfield Giants coach Jon Sharp: Nothing would give me greater pleausre than a Crusaders victory

Sep 10 2010 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

CRUSADERS first-team coach Jon Sharp still feels pride when he looks at the way the Giants are continuing to improve.

But the former Galpharm chief admits nothing would give him greater pleasure than to shatter Huddersfield’s play-off dreams tomorrow.

Sharp spent five seasons at the Giants and will return with Crusaders head coach Brian Noble and fellow assistant Iestyn Harris to the club, bidding to pull off a shock Elimination Play-off triumph and move within two games of reaching the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

It’s going to be tough for the Wrexham-based club, Sharp is well aware of that.

But after battling to a hard-fought 30-24 home triumph over Hull KR last Saturday to seal the eighth and final play-off spot ahead of Castleford, the Crusaders will be travelling to West Yorkshire in buoyant mood.

And Sharp admits he is relishing a return.

“Preparations have been going great this week,” Sharp said. “Everyone’s really looking forward to this weekend.

“Everything has been really positive and the players have responded really well since the victory over Hull KR. The team is full of confidence and there is genuine belief among the coaching staff and players that we can go to Huddersfield and win.

“And I’m obviously looking forward to going back. I spent five great years there as coach and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

“The Galpharm is a fantastic stadium and there will be a great atmosphere, and what adds to the occasion is that it’s now play-off football.

“We know we’re playing a team that’s in good form, but we’re also playing well and that makes for an excellent game.

“But tomorrow isn’t just about me returning to the Galpharm, it’s about the players and how they apply themselves. That’s what it’s all about.”

However, while praising the job current Giants coach Nathan Brown has done at the club, Sharp still maintains he deserves some of the credit for turning Huddersfield from Super League strugglers into play-off contenders during his spell at the Galpharm.

“I think there has been steady improvement there over the past few years,” he added.

“Tony Smith started it when he was there and then I took over for five years. In that time we went from finishing 10th to a fifth place play-off spot for the first time ever. We also made Challenge Cup final.

“I am really proud of some of the stuff I achieved during my time there. I look at the youth coming through the team now, and 90% of the team I recruited.

“The foundations were laid and I like to think I had some influence in their current success.