Paul Anderson feels his three new signings will have benefited from making their Giants debuts in Saturday’s hard-fought home 20-18 pre-season triumph over Hull KR.
And the Huddersfield chief hasn’t ruled out the prospect of former London Broncos forwards Chris Bailey and Antonio Kaufusi, and ex-Salford speedster Jodie Broughton all featuring in Friday’s big Super League 2014 opener at Wigan Warriors.
Because of the postponement of the trial clash at Wakefield the week before, the Giants head to the DW Stadium with just the one pre-season fixture under their belt.
But even though Anderson knows that’s far from ideal, he believed he still saw more than enough in the Rovers game to suggest the new faces will waste little time making a positive impact at the John Smith’s Stadium.
“At this stage, we haven’t decided on our 17 for Friday. The way we played against Hull KR gave us (the coaching staff) a fair bit to think about,” said Anderson.
“But everyone was encouraged with the way our new players fitted in. They all had something to offer.
“For a start, it’s always positive to get your debut out of the way, and they’ve no longer got that to worry about. They all showed some very encouraging signs.
“But, like everyone else on the playing and coaching staff, there’s still room for improvement.
“Having said that, for a starting performance, it was good to see.
“It’s now a case for them, and the rest of the players, to keep on building on their performances – starting at Wigan on Friday.”
