Paul Anderson has warned new dads Chris Bailey and Ukuma Ta’ai they can’t use their late returns to pre-season training as an excuse for potential below-par Giants performances in Sunday’s trial test at Wakefield.
The overseas duo are both named in the Giants’ squad to face the Wildcats in former Huddersfield forward Andy Raleigh’s testimonial clash (3.00).
New signing Bailey and Ta’ai returned to the club on Monday after missing over a month of pre-season training as they waited to become fathers for a second time.
They are included in a Giants travelling party that is expected to include the entire first-team squad, apart from Brett Ferres (ankle), Shaun Lunt (shoulder and ankle) and Jacob Fairbank (shoulder), who are still recovering from post-season surgery.
And with just one other pre-season challenge to come at home to Hull KR next Saturday before Huddersfield’s opening Super League clash at Wigan on Friday, February 7, Anderson expects every member of his squad to be firing on all cylinders as quickly as possible.
“Just because Chris and Ukuma have been given time off it doesn’t mean we expect them to have fallen behind the standards being set by their teammates,” said Anderson.
“Before they left us, they were told that if they didn’t keep up their pre-season work they wouldn’t play.
“The acid test will obviously come this weekend.
“The game at Wakefield is vitally important in terms of preparing for the trip to Wigan, and we can’t afford anyone to have fallen behind.”
