Antonio Kaufusi wants to face Catalan Dragons on Sunday and prove his Huddersfield Giants Super League career is finally under way.

The 29-year-old former Australia Test prop has featured in Huddersfield’s last two top-flight fixtures after making a stuttering start to his time at the John Smith’s Stadium.

After spending a month on loan at Bradford Bulls, he returned to the Giants in June and had to wait three weeks before forcing his way back into the first team.

That came in the 44-30 defeat at in-form Castleford Tigers before keeping his spot in Sunday’s 52-26 home triumph over the Bulls.

And now Kaufusi wants to make it a hat-trick of starts against the Dragons at the John Smith’s Stadium this weekend.

“I’d love to play against Catalan,” said Kaufusi.

“Obviously that’s down to Baloo, but it’s up to me to keep my head down in training and prove to everyone I should be playing.

“I know there are areas I still need to work on, but my role’s relatively simple. I have to lead the line speed and give us a bit of intent, and I’d like to think that’s what I’m doing.

“After spending the month on loan at Bradford and then having to wait a few weeks to get my chance again, I’ve got to make sure I make the most of it now I’m back in.

“My aim is to build on what I’ve done against Castleford and Bradford and start to given even more to the team.”

During his time at Bradford, Kaufusi featured regularly and got some big minutes under his belt.

As a result, the Bulls were keen to retain his services for longer.

But even though he refused their offer of a guaranteed regular start, the former London Broncos front-row forward didn’t regard the decision to return to Huddersfield as a gamble.

“I didn’t see it that way at all,” he added.

“Although I found it humbling that Bradford were so keen to keep me, I always saw myself as a Huddersfield player and wanted to be playing back here.

“I knew that if I was with the Giants, the coaching staff would see how determined I was to win back my place. They could see how much effort I was prepared to put in during training and how much I wanted to be there to support the rest of the boys in the squad.

“I felt confident that if I did this and took my chance when it came along, I’d be able to establish myself in the side even more.

“That’s obviously what I’m trying to do at the moment.

“And, hopefully, if I’m picked to play against Catalan, I can put in another consistent performance and do what I can to help us get another win.

“After beating Bradford at the weekend, everyone’s determined to push on.”

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