Huddersfield Giants are making moves to keep Jordan Rankin on board after his current deal ends.
The Gold Coast-born 25-year-old utility back signed a short-term contract with the Giants until the end of the season when he joined them as a free agent back in June.
However, Rankin has impressed enough already playing at full-back in the absence of the injured Jake Mamo for the Giants head coach Rick Stone to look at offering the player terms for the future.
“We have sat down with Jordan and had a chat about what might happen,” said Stone.
“He has done a good job for us and came in at the right time as Jake was counted out through injury for the rest of the year.
“He has already been valuable and he is someone who can play in a number of positions.
“He is in our long-term plans and we are working in negotiations with his management to try and keep him at the Giants for the longer term.”
Rankin arrived after ending a spell with NRL outfit Wests Tigers, but already had knowledge of Super League from his two-season stint with Hull FC.
Rankin looks set to continue at full-back as the Giants travel to Wigan Warriors in the Super 8s tomorrow night.
However, the Giants will be without former New Zealand international prop Sam Rapira due to a rib injury, second rowers Dale Ferguson and Ollie Roberts are both recovering from knocks and on-loan half back Martyn Ridyard is out for the rest of the season after surgery on a shoulder problem.
“I think the injury situation goes with the stage of the competition we are at,” said Stone.
“Every club has their problems and that is pretty consistent for all the teams.
“There are always a few niggles and the struggle is to try and put out your best 17.
“We can work at getting players ready, but there is also a little bit of luck involved at this stage.”
However, for Ridyard there was no good luck and it remains unclear whether he will return to the Giants next term or stay with his parent club Leigh Centurions.
But, whatever happens, Stone was thankful for the 31-year-old’s contribution in a Claret and Gold shirt and said: “After Magic Weekend we have been making good progress and we have been on an upward path since then.
“And that was when Martyn came in and he brought quite a lot to the team.
“He is not a young bloke and he has been around the traps a bit and he brings that bit of composure.
“He also brings a really handy kicking game, and he has a good understanding of how to execute a gameplan.
“He is a good pro, he’s a likable bloke and people want to play for him and with him.
“He can get blokes to move for him and he definitely does a good job,he knows what his role is and he knows how to get it done.
“I am not sure what will happen. After the first month he had with us – he deserved his opportunity here for the rest of the year.
“It is a pity that he won’t get the chance to play again this season, but we have got to access a few things for next season, there will be some tough decisions and we have to see how it all pans out.”
A boost for the Giants camp is the return of back row forward Michael Lawrence after a long spell out following knee surgery.
“Michael should be back in and he gives us a lot playing in the back row and working on the edge of defence,” said Stone.
“He is probably not going to be at his best if he plays at Wigan, given how long he has been out, but to have him back is a boost for the other boys.
“He is keen to play, he is such a competitor and he plays with such energy and intensity when he gets out there.”
Tomorrow night’s game has a winner-takes-all feel with both sides needing a win to keep hopes of the top four bubbling, and though the Giants go into the game on the back of a 36-6 win over Wakefield and Wigan a 32-16 defeat at Leeds, Stone still feels his side are the underdogs.
“We are going to Wigan and you still have to feel that we are the outsiders,” said Stone.
“They performed pretty well the previous week in their Challenge Cup semi-final, and you would have to think that they are still stinging a bit from their defeat at Leeds in the first round of the Super 8s – they will have been a bit frustrated with that performance.
“Their form at the end of the regular season had been pretty good and I don’t think the Challenge Cup final will have a bearing.
“They have a couple of things on their plate obviously, but you can be sure they will be wanting to get into the top four.
“I know their coach and their team and they are the kind of people who will want to get a result – they are a dangerous team.
“First and foremost what will be in their mind right now will be to try and get some more points and climb up the ladder.
“We have our own expectations and we set ourselves some high standards,” said Stone.
“The players have definitely been enjoying training and enjoying playing over the last few weeks.
“We had good preparation for the Wakefield game and the longer break gave us a chance to get our heads down and work hard in training, and what we achieved against Wakefield was what comes off the back of a lot of hard work.”
