GIANTS coach Jon Sharp is backing big Jonathan Grayshon to maintain the form he showed against St Helens in Sunday's big Super League clash against world champions Leeds Rhinos at the Galpharm Stadium (3.00).
The 21-year-old forward produced an outstanding tryscoring performance from the bench in the 34-24 defeat at St Helens last Friday.
It was an individual display that delighted head coach Sharp, who has no hesitation in including him in the squad to face the unbeaten Super League champions this weekend.
"Jonathan was outstanding at Saints," confirmed Sharp.
"He never fails to impress me with the way he goes about his work and he was one of the many positives to come out of the game last Friday.
"He obviously showed great support play to score his try, but it was another incident later in the match that summed up his performance.
"It was his willingness to follow a Chris Thorman kick and race half the length of the field to trap Saints inside their own 20 that eventually created the opportunity for Jimmy Evans to grab his second try with six minutes left.
"As a coach, you can't ask any more from a player than that."
Grayshon appears the ideal replacement for injured skipper Ben Roarty, who is out for up to six weeks with a rib injury.
Roarty's absence also means that vice captain Chris Thorman will lead out the side on Sunday.
"Chris will be in charge, and I have no doubt he will do an outstanding job," said Sharp.
