GIANTS assistant Keiron Purtill believes this month's fact-finding coaching trip to Australia will prove vital in the club's build-up to Super League XII.

Purtill and fellow coaches Paul Anderson and Ben Cooper set off on a two-week trip Down Under at the weekend.

During a packed programme, they will observe coaching methods at top Australian NRL clubs Penrith, Wests Tigers, Parramatta and Manly.

They will also meet up with head coach Jon Sharp, who is on duty with Great Britain, and touch base with holidaying Giants Australian star Chris Nero.

The trio have also planned to meet up in Sydney with new recruiits Shane Elford, Jamaal Lolesi and John Skandalis, who are training with Wests before moving to Huddersfield.

Purtill and Anderson will then return for the start of pre-season training, while Cooper stays on for an extra four days to take in an RL conditioning course.

And Purtill has no doubt all three members of the club's coaching team will benefit significantly from the trip, which they are helping to fund themselves.

"You never stop learning in this game, and I know we'll learn a hell of a lot in the next two weeks," said Purtill.

"It's a very tough schedule, with a couple of days at each of the four clubs we're visiting. We've also got several meetings planned and will obviously do a fair amount of travelling.

"So, we know it's going to be hard, but we're also sure it will be enjoyable.

"It's fantastic the clubs are letting us take a close look at what they're doing during pre-season training. They were only too pleased to invite us.

"We're always looking for different training methods that could help give us that extra edge, and we may discover that in the next fortnight.

"Hopefully, we'll return to England with fresh ideas to help make the boys even sharper for when the season gets under way.

"It's also important to come up with variations in pre-season so the players don't get stale.

"By visiting four clubs, we hope to latch on to a lot of new ideas that will be of tremendous benefit to Huddersfield Giants."