Next week (January 16) we have an extra special meeting.
The Director of Rugby at St Aloysius College is making the trip from Sydney just to have the pleasure of our company.
He played his Australian rugby with the Manly Sea Eagles before venturing to the UK.
After scoring 100 tries in 89 games for a couple of other clubs, he set a world record of 52 tries by a centre in a season with us. He then did the unthinkable and switched to t’other code – but we won’t hold that against him!
Yes, try machine Greg Austin will be with us.
As promised last week, the other panellists at the Fans Forum at the stadium on January 23 will be our coach, Paul Anderson, one of our England star internationals, Brett Ferres, and our marketing manager, James Brammer. This event will be free for HGSA members, season ticket holders, & accompanied youngsters; �1 otherwise.
Please pay your deposit for the Pre-Season Meal (January 31) ASAP as we need to let Bradley’s know our numbers. Details online or via Dave Calverley [07887 878 425].
And for all you Tanya Arnold lovers out there, put February 4 in your diary!
Enough of the immediate future, our last look at the past ended with Ken Davy taking over the club in 1996.
In 1998, due to the collapse of Paris St Germain, the club was promoted to Super League despite not winning the second division title. However, dark days continued.
The team struggled to compete, winning only a handful of games. Garry Schofield was removed as coach after 12 matches in 1998 because he lacked the necessary coaching qualifications. He was replaced by Mal Reilly who was sacked at the end of the season.
In late 1999, the club merged with Sheffield Eagles almost purely for financial reasons. Sheffield coach John Kear took over as head coach. They were officially known as the Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants.
The Association of Premiership Clubs blocked proposals for a separate Huddersfield team in the Northern Ford Premiership. They played two home games in Sheffield at Bramall Lane with the others in Huddersfield, the away strip was in the Sheffield Eagles colours.
Huddersfield-Sheffield won only four games, three of them against rivals Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.This arrangement lasted only a season before the Huddersfield name was reverted to, due to rejection from both sets of fans.
In the four seasons between 1998 and 2001, they lost 81 times in 99 matches, avoiding relegation for a variety of reasons.
Coach John Kear was sacked and this signalled a change in fortune for the club. Little-known Australian Tony Smith was appointed as coach for the 2001 season after a rigorous process.
