Jamie Ellis expects the pressure of playing for their livelihoods to bring the very best out of new coach Rick Stone’s Giants.

Huddersfield’s Middle 8s battle for Super League survival gets under way at Salford Red Devils tomorrow (3.00).

Victory at the AJ Bell Stadium would immediately put the Giants on course for a top-three finish and an automatic 2017 top-flight place in the seven-game eight-team Middle 8s mini-league.

And with the stakes so high, the 26-year-old half-back expects his side to rise to the occasion.

“At the end of the day, we’re playing for our jobs,” said Ellis.

“That does put added pressure on the fixtures we’ve got coming up. But it can also guarantee we focus even more on what we’re doing and finally get us playing to our full potential, which is something we never managed to do during the regular Super League season.

“Even though we finished at the bottom of the table, we’ve still got a lot of confidence in our ability, and that’s something Rick’s bringing out in us.

“We know we’ve got to be at the top of our game from start to finish at Salford this weekend, and if we’re able to do that then we know we’ll win.

“That would really set us up for the rest of the Middle 8s and add even more to our confidence.”