Nathan Brown column: Confidence is key

May 21 2009 by Chris Roberts, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

We’ve got to be good in that game before we face Castleford, because if our poor run of form continues I fear we could be involved in the Cup-tie just to make up the numbers.

Although it’s obviously not good to lose to second-bottom Salford, the fact you were beaten by the City Reds and Bradford Bulls lost at home to the previously winless Celtic Crusaders has to be good for the competition.

It’s certainly no consolation to us!

But I can see how it could been seen as good for the competition, because you want it to be as close as possible and for the games to be as competitive as they possibly can.

What I think is really healthy is that we’re almost halfway through the competition and Wigan, Bradford and Warrington are all out of the top eight.

If someone had said that at the start of the year, people would have laughed.

And, although it pains me to say it, it has to be good for the game that the team that’s second bottom of Super League can go and win at the home of the club that was lying fourth.

Were you disappointed there were no Giants players named in the initial 17-man England Elite training squad?

It was just another reflection of the fact we’re going through a bit of a lull at the moment.

Obviously, if we were playing as well now as we were at the start of the season, it’s possible we may have had one or two players in there. But, to be honest, I’ve never been one for commenting on the team selection of another coach.

Rather than concerning myself over matters of who’s in and who isn’t in the England squad, my sole focus is on trying to help us get back to our early-season form.

That’s our No1 priority, and if we get players selected for the national side on the back of a successful Super League season, that’s a bonus.