BRAD DREW has publicly thanked the Giants fans for the reception they gave him at Crusaders six days ago.
The highly-popular 34-year-old Australian hooker marked his first Huddersfield appearance of the season with a tryscoring display as coach Nathan Brown’s men recorded an impressive 38-10 Super League triumph in Wrexham.
It was Drew’s first senior run-out of the campaign after undergoing pre-season knee surgery, and it was also his second spell at the Giants following his departure to Wakefield at the end of 2007.
He is now hoping to follow up that successful return with an appearance against leaders Wigan in tomorrow’s Super League Magic Weekend clash at Murrayfield.
And, if he does, he’s hoping the support he receives in Scotland can match that he encountered in Wales.
“The reaction of the fans at Crusaders was amazing. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting and, to be honest, it left me a little overwhelmed,” said Drew.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with the fans, which I’ve always really appreciated, but I still never dreamed they would give me a reception like that.
“Because I was concentrating so much on the game when I was out there, I wasn’t fully aware of what the fans were singing at the time, although I’ve found out since they were chanting my name.
“But I was, of course, more than aware of the reception at the end of the game when I went over to them.
“It was an unbelievable experience – one I’ll never forget – and, if I could, I would have had no hesitation in climbing into the stand to shake everyone by the hand and buy them a beer!
“That would have been the best possible way to thank them, because I was desperate to show them how much I appreciated it.
“On top of that, my family were all there to see the events unfold, and I think that was probably the icing on the cake.”
Another thing that added to a memorable occasion for Drew was that he scored his try right in front of the Giants fans and also played the leading role in putting winger David Hodgson over for his hat-trick score – again in full view of the claret and gold faithful.
“That was great, and scoring the try was definitely a further boost to my confidence,” he added.
“Even though I scored I’m the first to accept my match fitness is still down a fair bit. The problem when I first got on the field was that we were under pressure. I had to do a lot of tackling, which may have been good for the lungs but hurt a lot at the time.
“But in my second spell I managed to get my hands on the ball a bit more and I felt things were starting to come together.
“Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks everything will begin to fall into place and I can make an even bigger contribution.
“But I do feel a lot happier with the way things are going and feeling more positive about the challenges ahead.”
